Jason Ford

Skin trade: partnership seeks greater understanding of wound healing device

News

Avita Medical and Huddersfield University are investigating the mechanism of Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES) – from Avita’s ReCell device – to better understand its ability to treat burns, hard-to-heal wounds and skin trauma.

Royston-based Avita Medical is a regenerative medicine company that specialises in the treatment of wounds and skin defects. The company’s ReCell device lets doctors create Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES) using a small sample of the patient’s skin. RES is an autologous suspension comprising the cells and wound healing elements necessary to regenerate skin, and uses include the repair of burns using less donor skin.

The objective of the research with Huddersfield University is to provide greater understanding of the cellular interactions present in RES and the roles these play in regenerating natural healthy skin.

According to the University, results of this research will help enable clinicians to make more informed patient selection leading to superior clinical outcomes.

In the coming months, Senior Lecturer in biological sciences Dr Nikolaos Georgopoulos, Reader in Advancing Clinical Practice Dr Karen Ousey and Professor of Pharmaceutics Barbara Conway – from the University’s Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention – will assess the ReCell device using donated human skin to produce RES.  

The investigators will examine the behaviour of the skin cells in RESTM using sophisticated analysis techniques to reveal ongoing cellular interactions.  The resulting new information regarding the mechanism within RES will be used to advance clinical practice, education and product development.

“Our goal with this study is to further unlock understanding of the mechanism within the active suspension, so that we will be able to further discern the intricacies behind why ReCell is so effective for wound treatment,” said Adam Kelliher, CEO of Avita Medical.

Following this initial collaborative evaluation, Avita Medical and Huddersfield University intend to finalise a longer-term strategy to explore the RES mechanism.