Stem cell breakthrough to heal chronic wounds traced to single donor

An Adelaide breakthrough in healing chronic wounds with a special dressing has an extraordinary pedigree – a single donor generating “limitless” regenerative stem cells.

Landmark wound healing technology developed in Adelaide is being tested on human patients after successful animal trials in an “Adam and Eve” stem cell breakthrough.

Stem cells taken from single healthy adult human bone marrow donor are being grown into a “limitless supply” for use including in the hi-tech wound dressing being trialled on patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The dressing keeps the stem cells alive and healthy and delivers their regenerative properties directly into the wound.

If successful, large-scale manufacturing of the stem cells descended from the single original donor could be used on untold patients to promote rapid healing.

Wounds Australia estimates more than 420,000 Australians suffer from chronic wounds.

Professor of Regenerative Medicine at UniSA Allison Cowin – speaking for Wound Awareness Week this week – said people tend to assume all wounds heal.

“People don’t realise there are some people whose wounds simply don’t heal, mainly the elderly. Thirty-four per cent of diabetics will go on to have chronic wounds and there are more than 4000 amputations a year as a result,” she said.

Thirty diabetes patients with non-healing foot ulcers lasting longer than six weeks are being recruited for the trial – see dfustudy.com to volunteer.

Professor Cowin, who is also deputy director of the Future Industries Institute, has developed the dressing in conjunction with other scientists and industry partners.

The project started in 2013 and the move to human trials will offer hope to the many thousands of people with chronic wounds.

Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Allison Cowin at UniSA in Mawson Lakes, is developing a dressing that use stem cells to heal chronic wounds. Picture: Matt Loxton

The work is being done in collaboration with Melbourne-based Cynata Therapeutics, TekCyte and the University of Adelaide.

Prof Cowin explained the technology makes the “blank” stem cells an unlimited resource.

“We are working with Cynata Therapeutics who have the stem cells. Using a patient’s own stem cells has difficulties, and Cynata’s manufacturing technology produces an unlimited quantity,” she said.

“From a single healthy donor they can produce millions of cells, they can keep growing and growing them for an unlimited supply.”

Prof’s Cowin’s work shows the dressing’s special surface can keep the stem cells alive and healthy while promoting healing.

Cynata is using the stem cell technology in other areas including osteoarthritis treatment and says: “We have a starting material with unlimited expansion potential, which means that we and our commercial partners can source all the cells we will ever need from a single blood donation.”