Apparatus for Harvesting Tissue Microcolumns

Summary

Here we describe a protocol for producing harvesting needles that can be used to collect full-thickness skin tissue without causing donor site scarring. The needles can be combined with a simple collection system to achieve high-volume harvesting.

Abstract

This manuscript describes the production process for a laboratory apparatus, made from off-the-shelf components, that can be used to collect microcolumns of full-thickness skin tissue. The small size of the microcolumns allows donor sites to heal quickly without causing donor site scarring, while harvesting full-thickness tissue enables the incorporation of all cellular and extracellular components of skin tissue, including those associated with deeper dermal regions and the adnexal skin structures, which have yet to be successfully reproduced using conventional tissue engineering techniques. The microcolumns can be applied directly into skin wounds to augment healing, or they can be used as the autologous cell/tissue source for other tissue engineering approaches. The harvesting needles are made by modifying standard hypodermic needles, and they can be used alone for harvesting small amounts of tissue or coupled with a simple suction-based collection system (also made from commonly available laboratory supplies) for high-volume harvesting to facilitate studies in large animal models.

Introduction

Autologous skin grafting is the mainstay of wound repair, but it is limited by donor site scarcity and morbidity, leading to concerted efforts in recent decades to develop new therapeutic options to replace conventional skin grafting^1,2. We recently developed an alternative method of harvesting skin to harness the benefits of full-thickness skin grafting while minimizing donor site morbidity. By collecting full-thickness skin in the form of small (~0.5 mm diameter) "microcolumns", donor sites are able to heal rapidly and without scarring under normal circumstances (for potential exceptions, see the dis....

Protocol

All work involving live animals and animal tissue samples have been approved by the Massachusetts General Hospital Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

1. Production of Harvesting Needles

1. Setup of the production stage
   1. Secure a female luer lock connector onto a post, and mount the post onto a rotation stage so that the luer lock is at the center of the stage (Figure 1A).
   2. Position this first rotation stage vertically, and mount it perpendicularly onto a second, horizontal rotation stage (Figure 1B).<....

Results

The harvesting needles should be able to collect microcolumns of full-thickness skin tissue with approximately a 80-90% success rate, and each microcolumn should contain epidermis, dermis, and some subcutaneous fat (Figure 4). If the success rate of harvesting is low, or if it becomes difficult to insert a needle into tissue, then a new needle is likely needed. If the success rate for harvesting is consistently low, even with new needles, then the needles are.......

Discussion

The methods described here are intended to enable the collection of tissue microcolumns in sufficient quantities for in vivo large animal studies, using tools made from commercially available laboratory supplies. This apparatus has been used previously in harvesting tissue from excised human skin^4,9 as well as live swine skin³. The specific parameters described are those that were found to be most suited for use in swine. It is ex.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Diamond wheel	Dremel	545
Hypodermic needle (19G)	Fisher Scientific	14-840-98	Other needle sizes could be used, depending on experimental needs
Stone wheel	Dremel	540
Syringe (20mL with luer lock)	Fisher Scientific	22-124-967
Suction adapter	Tulip Medical	PA20BD	Optional, for high volume harvesting
Suction canister	Fisher Scientific	19-898-212	Optional, for high volume harvesting. Sterilize before use.
Suction tubing	Medline	DYND50216H	Optional, for high volume harvesting