Utah Company Helps Burn Victims Grow New Skin
Aug 6, 2018, 11:03 AM | Updated: 10:05 pm
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah – In a matter of seconds, 19-year-old Austin Weaver’s life was changed forever.
His stepdad Scott Nelson says Austin was working on his truck at his home in Saratoga Springs last November when everything changed.
“He ended up cutting a gas line, and, unfortunately, he was using a road flare for light. Almost 60-percent of his body was covered in third degree burns,” Nelson said.
His stepdad says the last eight months have been painful for Austin and the entire family.
“Observing the ongoing treatment and healing process is like watching him get hurt all over again,” Nelson said.
With the help of new technology created by a biotech company in Salt Lake, healing for Austin became a little more easy for him and his providers.
“It essentially regenerates full thickness hair-bearing skin on the patient themselves. You put the tissue product in place, over time it heals and grows full thickness skin in that tissue void,” said Dr. Denver Lough.
Lough is CEO at PolarityTE, the company that developed SkinTE. He says his company saw a need for this technology.
“There were a lot of patients that were out there that simply needed skin.”
SkinTE is now providing hope to Austin’s family.
“Not only because it has the ability to actually help save lives, but because it takes a lot of the pain that is involved in healing out of the equation,” Nelson said.
