Engineered skin heals foot ulcers fastest

Miami - A new study suggests that “engineered skin” - or bilayered living cell therapy (Apligraf, Organogenesis) - significantly improved healing of diabetic foot ulcers compared with other advanced biologic therapies, MedPage Today reports.

The study, conducted by a University of Miami research team, examined the records of 2,517 patients with diabetic foot ulcers, all of whom were treated with advanced biologic therapy.

Researchers found that when used as the initial advanced biologic therapy, engineered skin reduced wound-healing time by 31 percent compared with topical recombinant growth factor (becaplermin, Regranex, Johnson & Johnson) and by 40 percent compared with platelet releasate (Procuren, Cytomedix).

“Overall, we found that treatment with advanced biological therapy for nonhealing wounds occurred by day 28, consistent with the Wound Healing Society guidelines,” the authors wrote. “However, the median time to use of bilayered living cell therapy was six weeks, compared with four weeks for platelet releasate and three weeks for recombinant growth-factor therapy.

“Furthermore, 25 percent of wounds treated with bilayered living cell therapy were not treated until after 24 weeks.”

The reason for the delay could involve the higher cost of engineered skin, the authors noted, but they added that several studies have found that use of advanced biological therapies, in fact, does reduce costs. The study was published in the August issue of Archives of Dermatology.