Severe Burn Clinical Trials

During the healing process of a severe burn, tissue can often thicken and tighten, pulling the surrounding healthy skin toward the damaged area.

This condition, known as restrictive scar contracture, can cause:

  • Long-term negative aesthetic and physical effects.
  • Deformities, when located on or near a joint, that severely restrict mobility.
  • Crippling levels of pain, resulting in a high level of dependency on pain medications.

How We Can Help with Burn Rehabilitation

As part of a clinical trial, UPMC researchers and surgeons are using an investigational drug designed to improve burn rehabilitation, including the structure, function, and appearance of skin damaged by scarring.

The drug is comprised of laboratory grown fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are cells that are responsible for making collagen, a protein that gives skin its strength and elasticity.

When injected, the drug may help soften the appearance of the skin and slow the progression of the scar contracture.

Are Burn Rehabilitation Trials Right for You?

Military or civilian men and women, 18 to 65 years of age, may be eligible to participate in a phase I/II Clinical Study of Allogeneic Human Dermal Fibroblasts for Remodeling Scar Contractures​​​.

The DoD's Limb Salvage and Regenerative Medicine Initiative and the Muscle Tendon Tissue Unit Repair and Reinforcement (MTURR) Reconstructive Surgery Research study is collaboratively managed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering, Rapid Fielding Directorate and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Manufacturing Technology Program. The Initiative is focused on rapidly and safely transitioning advanced medical technology in commercially viable capabilities to provide our wounded warriors the safest and most advanced care possible today.

​​For more information or to learn if you qualify to participate in a research study, call (412) 864-2587 or use our online form.

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