Abstract
Burns are a major contributor to death and serious complications with an estimated 11 million cases occurring each year- to combat this, a technique was developed in Brazil utilizing the skin of a common fish, tilapia, as a replacement to the traditional harsh treatment of skin grafts. When applied as a bandage the tilapia skin helped to heal the burns effectively and quickly. Regardless of this method's functionality, there are many issues associated with this approach including ethical and sterilization concerns. To mimic this technique in a more sustainable fashion, the theory behind its functionality can be recreated using laboratory techniques. Tilapia skin contains very high amounts of type 1 collagen precursors, the most abundant type in the body. The addition of these precursors to the wound site allows the body to easily and quickly produce the additional collagen needed to repair the skin's structure. Collagen precursors can first be produced continuously in laboratory settings then included into bandages or synthetic skin as treatment for burns to help stimulate collagen production in skin cells. This project focuses on stable production of type 1 collagen through the introduction of an additional copy of the pro-α1(I) collagen precursor chain. In a laboratory setting using lentivirus transduction of a primary dermal fibroblast cell line, an additional copy of the COL1A1 gene will be added. Samples will be taken from culture media and compared against native cell lines to assess levels of collagen production. The collagen harvested will then be purified using affinity chromatography and assessed for correct conformation with use of a functional assay. The outcomes will pave the way for further advancements in the progress towards the objective of developing a viable burn treatment based on tilapia skin.