- MODELS TO INVESTIGATE HUMAN WOUND HEALING - Development of an in vivo mouse model to study human wound healing

Scar formation is a frequently occurring unwanted result of healing of a skin wound. The mechanisms causing scar formation are not fully understood, although many studies have attempted to unravel this issue. Most of these studies were performed in animals or in in vitro models, but both have major drawbacks. In the present study we aimed to develop a representative model in which the human wound healing process can be studied in vivo. Ex vivo human skin was transplanted it on severely immunocompromized mice. After 90 days, human skin was successfully transplanted on the backs of NSG mice. However, most of the transplants still contained a crust, and the transplant that had shed the crust contracted more than 60% of the original size. Because of the crust and contraction, these transplants are not usable for subsequent wound healing studies yet. In conclusion, we have shown that human skin can successfully be transplanted on NSG mice. In order to be useful, parameters such as skin thickness, or transplantation size could be adapted for improvement of this model.