Human Allografts Improve Healing Outcomes in Chronic Wounds

Abstract

Background Chronic wounds affect an estimated 8 million people worldwide and are often a result of underlying health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, malnutrition, etc. The related morbidity and mortality places an increased burden on the healthcare system. Regenerative approaches, which engages and stimulates the body’s innate healing capabilities is addressing the limited successes in current standard of care treatments. Axolotl Biologix is a regenerative medicine company that produces allograft products from the human amnion. Axolotl Ambient™ and Shot™, conditioned media rich in cytokines and growth factors, are derived from human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells. Axolotl DualGraft™ is a dehydrated, acellular, double layer, human amniotic membrane that encourages soft tissue repair by serving as a barrier, extracellular matrix scaffold, and provides a source of matrix‐bound growth factors. Methods Both allografts were used to facilitate repair and regeneration in a patient with difficult to close or intractable full‐thickness wounds. Axolotl Ambient™ was injected into the wound margin and Axolotl DualGraft™ was placed within the exposed wound bed. Wounds were bandaged per standard of care and imaged regularly to monitor wound healing progression. A range of bioassays were performed to ascertain the biological activity of the allografts. Results Multiple applications and injections of Ambient and DualGraft resulted in the formation of granulation tissue, restoration of blood flow, pain sensation, epithelialization, and wound closure. Bioassays confirmed the allografts contain measurable amounts of growth factors that promote angiogenesis, proliferation, tissue remodeling and reduction in inflammation. Conclusions Clinical application of the allografts in intractable wounds yielded dramatic improvement in wound repair by stimulating the normal physiological wound healing processes by the addition of exogenous growth factors, providing a scaffold in the wound bed, promoting normal blood flow, re‐epithelialization, and tissue remodeling. Longitudinal case studies are ongoing, concurrent with benchtop research to further elucidate the mechanisms of action responsible for reported clinical benefits in difficult to heal wounds. Support or Funding Information N/A