US government buys a device that grows skin from a small sample, for national emergencies

The US government is buying a device that can grow new skin from a small piece of a patient's own skin. This means hospitals will have a way to treat severe burn victims quickly, even if traditional skin grafts are not available.

For decades, treating severe burns has relied on taking large sections of healthy skin from a patient to graft onto burned areas. This new device allows doctors to use a much smaller sample, which reduces pain and scarring for the patient. It also means more people can be treated faster in a mass casualty event, where traditional methods would be overwhelmed.