Does this post header make you want to check Wikipedia or Snopes?
Some technologies are so beyond our experience that we immediately doubt they are real. Someone tells you that there is a SkinGun that heals the burn using the victim’s own stem cells. What do you say? Does your mind take in that this could be a part of the large-scale technological revolution that is taking place globally? If so, then you would check Wikipedia, and find nothing at Snopes.
CNN Video Report
It is fascinating to see the SkinGun at work. After the patient’s stem cells are isolated in solution they are “loaded” into the gun and then sprayed in a mist over the burn area. CNN offers a report showing dramatic result of a second degree burn of a man’s arm completely removed with no sign of scaring. Amazing technology used to help people and empower them to continue to function after the event that caused the burn.
There are many videos displaying the technology. National Geographic YouTube channel has a video as does Fox News.
The CNN report goes on to say that “the product, from New York biotech firm RenovaCare, is rooted in cutting-edge stem cell research. The CellMist System harvests a patient’s stem cells from a small area of unwounded skin (usually one square inch) and suspends them in a water-based solution. The SkinGun sprays the solution onto the wound, where new skin begins to grow at the cellular level.”
Playing or Helping?
There is a segment of the population that use technology to play with their skin. Plumping it and stretching it to erase marks of aging. The question of personal vanity fades into meaninglessness when one considers the burn victim. Skin burns are painful and the healing process is very limited, leaving scars and lack of functionality. This technology helps to remove the pain and scars and to improve functionality.
Thomas Bold, an engineer and president and CEO of RenovaCare, said, “We don’t modify the cells. We don’t do anything with the cells. We just isolate them from the surrounding tissue, put them in a syringe within a water-based solution, and we spray them. What we’re doing is all natural.”
Feasible But Experimental
The stem cell procedure works, but it is still in the experimental stage. The Food and Drug Administration has not fully approved the technique although the product has been patented and experimental treatments have been conducted in Pennsylvania.
Technology advances, not just at the computer, but across the board in all areas of life.
