A Better Way To Heal Burns

Good as New

US Army officer Kit Parker witnessed first-hand how severe burns led to the tragic death of a child in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2003, prompting him to dedicate his post-military career to helping other children avoid the same fate.

Now, 15 years later, Parker, a biophysicist, and his team at Harvard have discovered two innovative new ways to heal burn wounds faster, NPR reported.

His team’s first study found that fibronectin, a substance found in large quantities in fetal skin, could heal wounds at a rate faster than more traditional treatments with little to no scarring.

Using a “souped-up cotton candy machine,” the team created a bandage made out of fibronectin nanofibers which they found healed wounds faster and allowed for new hair-follicle growth.

“The wounds treated with fibronectin closed at around Day 11 and the control was several days later — at, on average, Day 14,” Christophe Chantre, a researcher in Parker’s lab, told NPR.

Seeking a less expensive and easier way to yield the same effect, the team tested another concoction of nanofibers sourced from cellulose and soy protein.

The soy proteins also sped up the healing process and were just as effective at reducing scarring, an advancement Parker hopes could “[even] the score a little bit” for burn victims in disadvantaged parts of the world.