In the case of severe soft tissue injuries, tissue transplantation is sometimes unavoidable. However, this is a serious intervention for the patient. In future, the missing tissue could grow back directly in the patient's body - in isolation chambers that can be implanted under the skin and individually adapted to the geometry of the wound.
If structures such as bones, vessels or tendons are exposed in the patient, the only option is often tissue transplantation with tissue that is supplied with blood. For the patient, this involves hours of surgery and damage to the body's own healthy tissue. Scientists are therefore developing tissue-sparing methods for creating tissue transplants with blood supply in order to replace skin and other tissue in a targeted manner. For example, collagen-lined insulation chambers made of Teflon could be sewn under the skin and an artery or vein inserted in a loop shape. The collagen is then converted into transplantable tissue within two to four weeks through cell migration and vascular ingrowth. This is a minor procedure for which local anesthesia is sufficient. In contrast to cultivated tissue from the Petri dish, the tissue created in the chamber is completely vascularized - i.e. interspersed with capillaries - and therefore supplied with blood. The result is a lively connective tissue that takes on the shape of the isolation chamber and is suitable for transplantation without the need to sacrifice healthy donor tissue. Another advantage: as the tissue is produced by the patient's body, rejection reactions are avoided.
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP
