RAPID FIRE: Scar Wars

Saturday, April 29, 2023

5:20 PM – 5:45 PM

Moderator/Speaker(s)

Jeffrey M. Davidson, MS, PhD

Professor Emeritus
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN

PDF

Speaker(s)

Geoffrey C. Gurtner, MD, FACS

Johnson and Johnson Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Professor (by courtesy) of Bioengineering and Materials Science, Inaugural Vice Chairman of Surgery for Innovation
Stanford University School of Medicine
Tucson, Arizona

PDF

Disclosure(s):

Geoffrey C. Gurtner, MD, FACS: No relevant disclosure to display

Beginning in late human gestation, many injured tissues begin to accumulate excessive levels of connective tissue to restore tissue integrity and reduce strain. From childhood to middle age, the inflammatory and fibrotic responses in wounds and other damaged tissue increasingly lead to an excess accumulation of poorly organized, stiffened scar tissue. A range of novel surgical devices that alter the mechanical tension in the wound function by interrupting the feedback loop between extracellular matrix stiffening and (myo)fibroblast activation. In addition, several new biochemical/pharmaceutical strategies can target hypertrophic scarring pathways. The session will evaluate the clinical promise of both approaches.