In the United States alone, over two million people suffer from burns, and approximately seven million suffer from chronic wounds caused by diabetes, pressure, venous diseases, and arterial diseases (Branski, 2007). There are many complications that coincide with the wound healing process. This leads to increased rates of hospitalization, increased cost of healthcare, and decreased quality of life (Cutroneo, 2008). There are many treatments out there to heal wounds effectively or to deal with non-healing wounds. One way to improve outcomes, is by using gene therapy. It has recently in the past decade become more than just science experiments, and is used to heal wounds that have not been able to heal previously. It reconstructs the wounded tissue by stimulating cells around it leading to new vascularization and faster healing (Bronneke, 2015). The primary goals for wound healing are rapid closure, free from infection, and functioning scar tissue to continue transformation. There are many considerations that …show more content…
These stages make up a complex healing process that must be aligned correctly to rebuild the tissue integrity. Inflammation happens when the skin is injured and up to 24 hours afterwards. The immune system reacts to fight off infection and expedite the healing process and coagulation occurs to establish hemostasis. The regeneration phase starts to restore skin integrity with the renovation of new blood cells (Bronneke, 2015). This process is called angiogenesis and is significant to this process. Granulation tissue soon appears and scarring begins to form. Remodeling then takes over and can last for years. The cells continues to rebuild on itself and the scar starts to diminish as the skin becomes stronger again (Jacobsen, 2005). Proper nutrients and cell function must be available in the body, such as protein and an oxygen rich environment, to transform the wound into new