Sacramento State Biomedical Team's Breakthrough Could Change The Way You Heal
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A medical breakthrough by a Sacramento State biomedical team could one day save your life.
The device is called an autologous thrombin device, and it uses the patients' own plasma to create a seal so wounds are less likely to get infected.
People with diabetic wounds, bed sores and open mouth wounds are expected to benefit the most from the device.
It was designed and created by a Sacramento State biomed team which includes student Mahnmeet Singh and professors John Chapman and Warren Smith.
The device recently won top honors and a $50,000 grant in a National Science Foundation competition. Researchers were impressed how it could replace bovine thrombin, which is more likely to trigger complications such as blood clots or infections.
"This is an application where we're replacing animal based product with the patient's own blood," Chapman said.
"I think it's a great advancement," Singh said. "If we're able to find methods where the patient can use their own blood and tissue in order to induce the healing process, I think that's the best part."
The best part for the professors is seeing young minds leading the way in the advancement of regenerative medicine.
"What we're seeing people develop innovative ways of taking tissue from a patient and processing it and putting it back into the patient," Smith said.
The device is currently being marketed in Europe with already one potential big-name buyer.
The device's cost is one of the appealing factors. At $85, it's considered a bargain in the field of medicine.
