The Potential Cure For Skin Cancer: Artificial Skin

By: Sanavi Kulkarni

Our skin has three layers, the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Under normal circumstances, our skin will regenerate every twenty seven days and the cells remain in their respective layers. However, for patients with skin cancer, abnormal growth of the skin cells will spread through all layers. Various drugs that block cell signaling pathways have been tested on humans to act as suppressors for abnormal cell growth, but the greatest results scientists have received was from using artificial skin.

Artificial skin pieces are crafted with collagen which is found in the dermis. Its natural polypeptides allow the pieces to genetically manipulate human skin cells which allows them to grow within layers instead of uncontrollably. Artificial skin therapy can follow the development for skin cancer as well as other disorders. This process has observable effects on skin, but it's unknown what happens to an entire organism

One experiment used artificial skin for the closure of skin cancer wounds. The results showed four out of the five patients' skin had completely healed with the therapy, with the other patient having an inadequate new layer of skin. It was concluded that artificial skin was cosmetically acceptable as it was able to decrease the pain and bleeding caused by skin cancer.