All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is coming up with a full-fledged skin bank by the end of this year to cater to the need of patients suffering from burns, cancer and other ailments leading to the requirement of skin transplants. The renowned medical institute is also working on producing artificial skin in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
“AIIMS has already started collecting the equipment for the skin bank which would be ready by this year end and fully-functional by beginning of next year. The administration has written to the Government for its authorisation," said AIIMS Director, Dr Randeep Guleria.
The hospital’s Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns surgery will launch an awareness campaign for cadaver skin donation soon.
Dr Guleria made the announcement while holding a Press briefing on the National Plastic Surgery day, at the hospital campus on Friday. Doctors said that India, mainly northern region is "lagging behind" in skin donations while the need is at the peak.
"There are two ways of preserving skin: one is glycerine based while another is liquid nitrogen based. At the glycerin based skin bank, skin can be used for four to five years while at the other it could long two more years. We are planning a glycerol based skin bank as the waiting is so much for skin transplant that we would not be able to preserve it for so long," said Chief of JNPA Trauma Centre, Dr Rajesh Malhotra.
"Once the training is given to the staff, we could start it. If someone comes to donate their skin, we can use it by medicating and making it bacteria free so that at the skin bank we can preserve it for longer period of time," he added.
AIIMS is also looking forward to produce "artificial skin" in collaboration with the IIT, taking a step ahead to join the international standards of skin grafting. "Hopefully in next three to four years, we could prepare artificial skin. The artificial skin available in India is manufactured and patented by a US-based company. It is quite costly." India has around six to seven skin banks which are "not up to the mark".