A British-based biotechnology company claims to have developed an artificial skin which can heal wounds more effectively than traditional skin grafts.

Cambridge firm Intercytex said that in a clinical trial the laboratory-made living human skin had been fully and consistently integrated into the human body for the first time.

Researchers claim that as such the artificial skin, known as ICX-SKN, is better than other skin graft alternatives which can biodegrade within weeks of being implanted.

Intercytex scientists believe that both patients and physicians could draw "enormous benefit" from the new technology, which they say would be a more feasible alternative to painful and traumatic skin grafts.

Under existing procedures serious burns and large wounds are treated by taking a section of skin from another area of a patient's body and grafting it on to the affected area, but in addition to being uncomfortable the process also creates an additional wound.

Publishing their findings in the latest issue of the Regenerative Medicine journal Intercytex researchers say they believe the success of their artificial skin lies in the process used to create it – one which mimics the way real skin is made.

ICX-SKN comprises of a collagen-based matrix, which is produced by human fibroblasts – the cells responsible for laying down collagen in natural skin. The cells effectively weave a collagen structure which mirrors that found in ordinary skin.

As part of a trial researchers extracted a full-thickness skin sample from the upper arm of six volunteers and replaced it with the artificial skin replacement. They found that ICX-SKN was quickly integrated with the cells of the participants and that after 28 days the wound had been healed.

Intercytex now wants to see if the artificial skin product has the same effect when applied to larger wounds so that it can seek further trials in a bid to seek a license to market the technology in the future.

Commenting on the research Intercytex founder and chief scientific officer Dr Paul Kemp said: "Intercytex intends to develop a range of cell-based implants that can regenerate lost tissue and this research is an important milestone in the pursuit of that objective."

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