Uploaded August 2011 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this image, a patient is receiving a noninvasive treatment to accelerate the healing of a deep wound resulting from the removal of cancerous tissue. Two weeks prior to surgery, bone marrow was aspirated from the patient's hip and cultured to promote the growth of special (mesenchymal) stem cells. Post surgery, the cultured stem cells were mixed with fibrinogen and placed in a double-barreled syringe already containing thrombin. As the preparations simultaneously exit the two chambers, they mix and form a gel-like substance (fibrin) that can be administered topically to cover the wound bed. This spongy layer serves as a microenvironment to enhance the attachment and proliferation of the epithelial cells found at the edge of the wound. Since the cells came from the patient's own bone marrow, there were no immunological concerns. Vincent Falanga, M.D., Boston University Roger Williams Medical Center
In this image, a patient is receiving a noninvasive treatment to accelerate the healing of a deep wound resulting from the removal of cancerous tissue. Two weeks prior to surgery, bone marrow was aspirated from the patient's hip and cultured to promote the growth of special (mesenchymal) stem cells. Post surgery, the cultured stem cells were mixed with fibrinogen and placed in a double-barreled syringe already containing thrombin. As the preparations simultaneously exit the two chambers, they mix and form a gel-like substance (fibrin) that can be administered topically to cover the wound bed. This spongy layer serves as a microenvironment to enhance the attachment and proliferation of the epithelial cells found at the edge of the wound. Since the cells came from the patient's own bone marrow, there were no immunological concerns. Vincent Falanga, M.D., Boston University Roger Williams Medical Center
