Jin Schofield (10) || STAFF REPORTER, EDITORIAL EDITOR
Abstract/Overview
After injury, patients who have faced certain degrees of physical trauma often develop scars in replacement of original tissue. Aside from the cosmetic concerns of scarring, scarring can cause complications including a difficulty to move, infection, a loss of self-esteem, and much else. However, in human embryos, healing of injuries hardly ever results in scarring. Researchers have identified some of the reasons for why this occurs, and are trying to use these discoveries to improve the natural healing of adult humans. Some treatments being pursued by researchers include transplantation of stem cells, manipulation of growth factors, and use of reactive oxygen species. However, there are many issues that prevent researchers from being able to immediately implement these solutions on humans. These include that transplantation can result in a potentially even more harmful immune response, and that the immuno-suppressant drugs used to combat this can increase the risk of developing certain diseases. Overall, regenerative medicine and embryonic wound healing have the potential to drastically improve how humans deal with injury, but we are far from developing safe, clinically effective treatments.
