Serious burn patients (2nd and 3rd degree) are in need of skin replacements to increase their chance of survival. Currently, the gold standard for these types of wounds is a surgical debridement with closure using autologous split thickness skin grafts (STG: epidermis and a thin layer of dermis) (1). However, in extended burns, healthy body areas available for graft removal are often insufficient. Moreover, aesthetically disappointing scars remain because of a lack of dermis. To obtain better results in terms of skin healing and aesthetics, deeper grafts comprising the epidermis and the complete dermis can be taken. But such an approach is limited due to small-sized graft removal areas like the groin or the lower abdomen and the associated higher morbidity. Therefore, surgeons need alternative strategies to obtain large portion of skin for grafts without taking it from the patient.
Presently, techniques are investigated like: cadaver skin, collagen or hyaluronic acid acellular wound dressings and autologous cultured keratinocytes (with or without fibroblasts) (1). The biocompatibility of these potential skin replacements and their ability to get properly vascularized once grafted are two key factors for a successful long-term survival of the graft. To obtain access to the recipient's vascular network, the graft can either recruit existing blood vessels or generate new ones. Therefore, being able to measure a skin substitute's biocompatibility and angiogenesis ability in pre- clinical stages is crucial to evaluate its potential application in a clinical setting.