Regenerative medicine using either keratinocytes and fibroblasts or melanocytes to cellular therapy in wound healing from distinct etiologies and vitiligo

• Grant number: 15/01067-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2016
• End date: December 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Caliári Oliveira
• Grantee: Carolina Caliári Oliveira
• Company: In Situ Terapia Celular Ltda
• City: Ribeirão Preto
• Associated researchers: Maria Beatriz Puzzi
• Associated research grant(s): 16/16013-2 - Cell therapy process otimization for wound healing treatment in patients: biodressing development and evaluation of therapeutic potential of keratinocytes, fibroblasts and mesenchymal cells in chronic ulcers and severe burns, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/01239-5 - Regenerative medicine using either keratinocytes and fibroblasts or melanocytes to cellular therapy in wound healing from distinct etiologies and vitiligo, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The skin is the largest human organ and it has important functions on both thermal regulation and prevention of body dehydration. Furthermore, it actively protects the body acting as a barrier against infections and other mechanical and chemical aggressions, in which, the loss of skin integrity could be responsible for several complications. Currently, the increase in life expectancy in humans has not only been associated with an increase in the incidence of chronic wounds, commonly associated with venous and arterial insufficiency and neuropathies, it may also be associated with diabetes. Chronic and severe wounds such as those caused by extensive burns are challenging for specialists to deal with, leading to long treatment time and high costs for health systems. Therapeutical alternatives are already available for the treatment of extensive burn wounds, however, there is a therapeutical hiatus represented by patients in which these conventional therapies are not effective, in this sense, in recent years, cell therapy has demonstrated to be promising. In clinical practices, therapy using autologous skin cells such as keratynocites and fibroblasts have already shown good results by speeding the wound treatment and sometimes even by completely healing chronic ulcers. In recent experimental trials, mesenchymal stromal cells, have been used in the treatment of several skin pathologies, while melanocytes have been used with success in the skin repigmentation of vitiligo patients. Therefore, the objective of the present project is to assess the therapeutical potential of the administration of melanocytes in vitiligo patients and the co-administration of queratinocytes and fibroblasts in patients with chronic wounds from distinct etiologies and burns, as well as to structure the laboratory of skin cell culture-UNICAMP starting a company aiming to standardize the therapeutical process. Cell therapy is the future in the treatment of severe skin patologies and the recent growing interest in cell therapy requires specialized support in order to be readily available for quick and save use. Thus, the Skin Cell Culture Laboratory Company will supply this growing demand for the treatment of patients with severe skin pathologies. (AU)