Experimental genetic techniques may one day provide plastic
and reconstructive surgeons with an invaluable tool—the ability to promote
growth of the patient's own tissues for reconstructive surgery. A review of recent progress toward developing
effective gene therapies for use in "regenerative surgery" appears in
the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical
journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Over the past ten years, researchers have developed several
promising gene therapy techniques to grow skin, bone and other tissues for
reconstructive surgery. But they still
face many challenges in developing gene-based approaches that can make the leap
from the research lab to the operating room, according to the review by Dr.
Giorgio Giatsidis and colleagues of Padua University Hospital, Italy.