‘Spray-on-skin’ hope in fight against leg ulcers

The treatment consists of skin cells suspended in blood clotting proteins which is sprayed on the wound.

In a study of 228 patients with venous leg ulcers, it accelerated healing and improved the chances of wound closure.

Those receiving the most effective dosage were 52 per cent more likely to see their ulcer clear up after three months than untreated patients.

They also experienced a 16 per cent greater reduction in wound area after seven days. In addition, the treatment helped wounds to close 21 days earlier.

Dr Herbert Slade, one of the study authors from Healthpoint Biotherapeutics in Fort Worth, Texas, said the treatment had the potential to vastly improve recovery from leg ulcers without the need for a skin graft.

The research is published in The Lancet medical journal.

Venous leg ulcers, the most common type, affect about one in 500 people in the UK.