AIIMS to set up skin bank, also plans to develop artificial skin

An AIIMS official said the country’s premier health facility is also developing “artificial skin” in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, to bridge the gap in demand and supply of skin donation.

AIIMS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), AIIMS Skin Bank, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery at AIIMS, Sajfdarjung Hospital, Delhi News, Indian Express News

As of now, the demand for skin for reconstruction surgeries related to congenital, trauma, cancer and burn injuries is as high as 150 per cent at AIIMS, officials said.

With a rise in cases of burn injuries and reconstruction surgeries involving skin, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will soon establish North India’s first government-run skin bank facility, senior AIIMS officials confirmed. An AIIMS official said the country’s premier health facility is also developing “artificial skin” in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, to bridge the gap in demand and supply of skin donation.

Dr Rajesh Malhotra, chief, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex (JPNA) Trauma Centre at AIIMS, said, “We will soon be launching North India’s first skin bank facility. The bank will be in close co-ordination with the institute’s bone bank facility. We are in the process of procuring medical equipment. We have also sought regulatory clearances from the Delhi government. In all probability, the skin bank should start early next year.”

Dr Maneesh Singhal, Head, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery at AIIMS, said the facility will accept cadaver donations from brain dead persons. He added that the facility will use technology to preserve donated skin for a period of 4-5 years. Just like other organs, doctors harvest skin within six hours of death. It is usually taken from the legs, thighs and back. Only the uppermost layer of skin is harvested, the doctor added. “The stored skin can be used for patients who have deep burns, chemical burns, electrical burns and radiation burns,” the specialist said.

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“We will accept cadaver donations. We plan to use glycerol, which has anti-bacterial properties, to preserve frozen skin. Cadaver skin will be stored in sub-zero temperatures at the bank. Glycerol will keep the donated skin free of infection…,” Dr Singhal said. As of now, the demand for skin for reconstruction surgeries related to congenital, trauma, cancer and burn injuries is as high as 150 per cent at AIIMS, officials said.

Sajfdarjung Hospital — which has the country’s largest burn unit — does not have a skin bank. Meanwhile, AIIMS is working with IIT-Delhi to develop “affordable artificial skin” for reconstruction surgeries. “We will be involved in the final phase of the project. After that, we will start using artificial skin.

The skin bank cannot bridge the gap between the required demand (and supply) as awareness and willingness to donate skin is a bottleneck. The only way forward is to develop artificial skin,” Dr Singhal added. Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, which has the country’s second largest burn unit, started a skin bank facility in June this year.

Kaunain Sheriff M

Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies. With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health. His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award. Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time. Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More