Turning Down the Volume on Scar Formation to Promote Healthy Wound Healing
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson scientists added a drug to standard wound treatments to promote the regeneration of healthy tissue and reduce excessive scarring.
A University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson team uncovered a potential treatment for survivors of blast wounds, burns and other devastating injuries that can lead to disfiguring or debilitating scars. The study, recently published in Science Translational Medicine, found in animal models that a drug called a FAK inhibitor appeared to reduce scarring and promote the regeneration of healthy skin in skin grafts.
As a wound closes, skin cells create collagen, which forms the building blocks of a scar. Scar tissue is stiff and inflexible, and excessive collagen production can result in scarring that impedes movement or facial expression, as when a scar covers the elbow or the face.