Tel Aviv Scientists Develop Breakthrough Skin Graft Method Through Bioengineering

“While the standard treatment closes half of the burn wound in eight days, our method achieves this in only four days.”

By Shula Rosen

The war in Israel has resulted in an increase in the number of burn victims and the need to create a new method of replacing damaged skin that doesn’t rely on traditional grafting.

Tel Aviv researchers have developed a method through bioengineering that may revolutionize grafting by producing a skin replacement using the patient’s own cells.

Rather than extensive removal of skin from another part of the body, doctors can take a sample of skin and generate new skin as a replacement.

The study was led by Professor Lihi Adler-Abramovich and Ph.D. candidate Dana Cohen-Gerassi of the Laboratory for Bio-Inspired Materials and Nanotechnology at the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, part of Tel Aviv University’s Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. The findings were published April 9, 2025, in Advanced Functional Materials.

The researchers created a tiny mesh-like structure using an approved material and then added a special molecule that helps skin cells stick, grow and multiply. They placed skin cells taken from a patient’s biopsy onto this structure, and the cells began to grow with some forming the deeper layer of skin and others forming the outer layer, closely imitating the structure of real human skin.

According to a Tel Aviv University press release, Dr. Marina Ben-Shoshan, senior researcher at Sheba’s Green Center for Skin Graft Engineering, said, “Our graft is unique in that it does not shrink, and is durable, flexible and easy-to-handle. Implantation in model animals has yielded impressive results, accelerating the healing process.”

She added, “While the standard treatment closes half of the burn wound in eight days, our method achieves this in only four days. Moreover, we observed that essential skin structures, such as hair follicles, began to grow.”

“The bioengineered skin we’ve developed represents a true breakthrough in burn care. Made entirely from the patient’s own cells, it is strong, flexible, easy to handle, and significantly accelerates healing,” said Professor Yossi Haik of Sheba Medical Center.

“This is a major step toward personalized therapies that can greatly improve the recovery and quality of life of severe burn victims, both soldiers and civilians. In the next phase, we plan to conduct trials in additional models and advance the necessary regulatory processes to bring this innovative technology closer to clinical application.”