• 原位干细胞皮肤再生复制研究的背景
  • 1988年8月16日,中央各大新闻媒体联合在北京举行大型徐荣祥烧伤湿性医疗技术新闻发布 会。中央电视台作为重大新闻播出,人民日报、光明日报、健康报等均以头版头条和重要位 置刊登新闻和报道。发布会引起国内外医学专家的关注,先后有数十个国家烧伤专家访华团 来华考察和学习。大家对烧伤湿性医疗技术能治愈深II度烧伤不留疤痕愈合感到震憾。但对 其机理均尚等待徐荣祥教授新的研究成果。这些年来,徐荣祥利用分子生物学技术全面系 统地重新对深度烧伤进行治疗和研究,在临床上不仅使深II度烧伤无疤痕愈合,而且使Ⅲ 度烧伤可再生新皮肤愈合。在机理研究上,首先发现了皮肤烧伤后干细胞的出现,其次寻找 出启动和调控干细胞能持续生长分裂的基因物质和方法,最后实现了在烧伤伤处原位培植皮 肤干细胞修复和再生新的皮肤,其具体研究背景如下:

    1989年11月,美国烧伤医学代表团来华考察学习烧伤湿性医疗技术,在学习交流中,徐荣祥 教授正式向美国同行宣布深度烧伤后,在创面上可再生皮肤,不需植皮。这一技术可以按要 求在实验室重复出来。美国烧伤医学专家巴巴拉教授回国后,在美国国立医学研究院巴尔的 模肿瘤实验室的帮助下重复了该项实验。与此同时,美国新闻周刊刊登了徐荣祥教授的烧伤 新医疗技术的消息,称中国一个简单的治疗方法将改变世界烧伤治疗。美国CNN电视台也 来华现场采访病人,制作成专题片播放。相继泰国发生煤气大爆炸,特约徐荣祥教授帮助救 治伤员,徐荣祥教授的皮肤再生技术在国外得到验证,获得皮肤再生治疗的成功。更加引起 了世界发达国家同行的重视。1991年10月,美国巴巴拉教授非常兴奋地电话告知徐荣祥教授 ,他的皮肤再生重复实验结束了,证明MEBO可使皮肤再生的功能(电话记录附后)。在美国专 家的报告结束后,徐荣祥教授感到此项研究的紧迫性,因美国已重复出来,我们如果不加快 新的研究,在此领域将落后。于是徐荣祥教授向卫生部科技司领导提出请求自己出资组织国 家级基础医学专家,进行全面系统的皮肤再生机理研究。1991年10月30日,卫生部科技司副 司长秦新华代表司长和卫生部,在首都宾馆召开了由中央直属院校的基础医学专家会议,听 取了徐荣祥教授做了一天的关于皮肤再生研究的设计及研究思路的专题报告。与会专家无比 兴奋,特别是听到徐荣祥教授讲到,人类皮肤可完全通过一种新生的多功能细胞的局部再生 繁殖实现复制的思路和提出干细胞探索的研究思路,认为这是人类前沿科学,决心全力投入 该领域内的研究。会后,按徐荣祥教授的研究计划,各单位的专家均设计了多项研究课题, 参与课题研究的专家达140人,各院校的组织均给予了支持。但卫生部科技司这项计划被来 自卫生部内部的一个调查组给阻止了,并对科技司进行冲击。卫生部部长及科技司所有领导 受到调查。1992年2月,中国烧伤创疡科技中心再次向卫生部报告,仅要求以卫生部名义组 织,但仍被调查组限制(附件)。无奈报告国务院。1992年初,国务院组成了专门班子,阻 止了“调查组”的不当行为,形成文件支持,但因原卫生部的个别人竭力阻挠,仍没能使该 项计划实施。等到1994年卫生部主管领导易人,对烧伤皮肤再生的研究限制解除。在这期间 ,徐荣祥教授领导自己的研究所在皮肤再生的基因调控物质进行的细致的研究,在1995年5 月22日,中央电视台《新闻联播》中华学人专题节目中公布。此后,徐荣祥教授依靠自己的 力量和朋友的力量全身心地投入到干细胞再生复制的研究中去。1995年他重新调整了研究队 伍,重新根据当时世界同类科学的研究进展和自己已获得的成果,设计了仿生学的分子生物 学研究方法,从基础到临床同时起步,一项立体式的完成这一大课题的系统计划形成。1996 年4月1日,徐荣祥教授带领他的研究人员及电视台的摄影师,在湖北襄樊烧伤中心、河南南 阳烧伤中心设立了临床实验基地,在北京的研究总部及协和医科大学基础所设立基础研究基 地,全面展开新的研究,在紧张的研究中,世界干细胞的研究不时地传来相关的信息,一方 面给徐荣祥教授极大的刺激,同时也给徐荣祥教授极大的压力。实际上徐荣祥教授心中有数 ,外国人的研究一直限制在体外干细胞的研究领域,尚没有进入原位干细胞研究领域。到19 98年4月,这一系统研究工程初步完成,已成功地记录了人类皮肤干细胞在原位复制的过程 ,并获得调控的基因物质及方法。1998年正是人类干细胞研究突破历史性水平之年,当时, Wall发现角蛋白干细胞的特性,他不仅在细胞的附着上起作用,而且在细胞活性信号转导途 径上也起着作用,Gat找到了人类干细胞的一系列线索。Thomason等认为全能胚胎干细胞能 够在无限繁殖的条件下,能在组织培养中维持。国外的水平距徐荣祥教授的研究仍相差很远 。经一年的资料总结分析,以及国家药品监督管理局一举清理了阻挠科学研究的历史性障碍 后,在卫生部科技司的支持下,于2000年3月,通过数十家新闻媒体发出了伤口愈合领先世 界的消息。今天则举行多项围绕皮肤再生干细胞研究的发布会。首先以实际临床效果展示研 究成果。对于皮肤干细胞器官复制的基因密码解析工作,徐荣祥教授仍在继续进行中。他计 划在其基因密码解析后,按其规律实现其人类其他器官的原位修复和复制,不久将会成为现 实。

    (中国烧伤创疡科技中心提供)

    The Background on Research of Skin Regeneration

    and Duplication by Culturing Stem Cell in

    vivo and in situ

    On August 16, 1988, a news conference was held in Beijing, China to release Mois t Exposed Burn Therapy developed by Prof. Rongxiang Xu. CCTV reported the event as significant news that was also hit the headlines in major newspapers in China , such as People's Daily, Guangming Daily and Health News. The event attracted g reat attentions of both domestic and international medical scientists and expert s and as a result, experts in burn treatment from dozens of countries paid visit s to China for studying the therapy. Having verified the truth by their own eyes , they were shocked by the fact that the deep second degree burn wound healed wi thout scar formation. Although it was a pity that they knew little about the mec hanism of the therapy at that time, they expected more achievements from Prof. X u Rongxiang. Since then, Prof. Xu resumed the researches on the treatment of dee p burns by the approach of molecular biotech and the clinical results showed tha t not only deep second degree burn wound can be healed without scar formation, b ut also the full-thickness dermis burn can be healed by regenerating new skin. T he mechanism researches initially observed the appearance of stem cell subsequen t to burn injuries, and then found out gene fragment and substance capable of tr iggering and regulating stems cells to persistently divide and grow, which final ly led to repair of skin and regeneration of new skin at the wound of full-thick ness dermis burn by stem cell culturing in vivo and in situ. In order to help fa cilitate a better understanding of the research, herein present some background information.

    In November of 1989, a delegation of burn experts from USA paid a visit to China for studying the Moist Exposed Burn Therapy. During the academic exchange, Prof . Rongxiang Xu declared that even deep burn wound can be healed by regenerating new skin at the site of wound without skin grafting, and that can be verified in laboratory. Prof. Barbara, a burn expert from Hackensack Medical Center in N.J of U.S.A, was encouraged to repeat the experiment under the help of Oncology Ins titute of NIN at Baltimore and the results verified the conclusion made by Prof. Xu. In May 1990, Newsweek of US published an article entitled “A Simple Way to Save Life" to report Dr Xu's new Moist Exposed Burn Therapy that would change t he world's approach to treating burn injuries. CNN also produced a special progr am after they visited a Chinese hospital and interviewed burn patients treated b y the therapy. In September of 1990 when Prof. Xu was invited to treat burn vict ims in an explosion of Bangkok, the therapeutic effects of his therapy was best described with his excellent treating results, which attracted greater attention of his counterparts in developed countries. In October of 1991, in a phone conv ersation, Prof. Barbara was excited and informed Prof. Xu that he had accomplish ed the repeat experiments in a lab of NIH and the result had verified the abilit y of MEBO ointment of regenerating skin (the phone record is enclosed). Having l earnt Dr Barbara's result, Prof. Xu was anxious to speed up his research since s uccessful repeat result may encourage foreign research in the field. Therefore, Prof. Xu put forward to organize a national research team composed of experts in basic medical sciences to systemically conduct researches on skin regeneration which would be at his own cost. On Oct. 30, 1991, Madam Xinhua Qin, deputy Direc tor of Department of Science & Technology of MOH, organized a hearing attended b y experts in the field of basic medical science and biology from universities in Capital Hotel in Beijing. During the hearing, Prof. Xu made a one-day presentat ion on the protocol design and thought of research path in skin regeneration. Al l the attendees were very excited, especially at his commitment that skin can be regenerated by propagating new pluripotant cells locally and proposal of resear ching thoughts of stem cell, as both of them were frontiers of life science. Enc ouraged by bright future of the research, all the experts present determined to involve in the research at their best. Soon after the meeting, following Prof. X u's protocol, the experts in specific fields from different institutes had desig ned their own protocols for specific topics involved. More than 140 experts to b e involved in specific protocol designing and universities offered great support s in this research. Unfortunately, the plan organized by Dept. of Science & Tech . of MOH aborted because of interference from a reactionary force from MOH. Even the Minister and directors of Dept. of Science & Tech were censured. One more a ttempt in this plan also died young when China Science & Tech. Center for Burns, Wounds and Ulcers made a report to ask MOH to organize the project under the na m e of MOH. Prof. Xu and his Institute had no other choice but to seek direct supp ort from State Council at the beginning of 1992. Since then, Dr Xu and his team devoted every effort to the research of skin regeneration by turning on and regu lating the gene with specific material. The primary results obtained were broadc ast in special program “China Scientific Elite" on column of CCTV News. In 1995 Prof. Xu and his reorganized team re-adjusted their approach to designing the re search protocol by the means of molecular biology in compliance with bionics pri nciple on the basis of the results obtained by their own as well as available in ternational updated achievements in this field. A three-dimensional research pla n took shape including basic data and clinical application. On April 1 of 1996, a team headed by Prof. Xu and composed of researchers and TV photographers left for Xiangfan Burn Unit of Hubei Province and Nanyang Burn Unit of Henan Province to set up clinical bases. Basic research bases were also set up in Beijing head quarters and Basic Institute of Peking Union Medical University. An overall rese arches for collecting data both on clinical and on basic research was instituted . While Prof. Xu and his team were busy in research on stem cell in skin regener ation in vivo and in situ, a great number of new achievements in this field were reported, which on one hand, was a motive power to urge them to speed up their research and on the other hand, was a pressure for them. However it was understo od by Prof. Xu and his team that all the available data or results obtained abro ad were only focused on isolating and culturing stem cell in vitro rather than i n vivo and in situ, the latter of which is more efficient to regenerate new tiss ues or organs. By April of 1998, Prof. Xu and his team has completed the primary research, i.e. the processes on the duplication of human skin stem cell were re corded successfully and the key material and methodology to turn on and regulate gene have been found out and established. The year of 1998 witness an incredibl y rapid pace in the research on stem cell biology. For example, Watt found that the keratinocytes not only play a role in cell adhesion, but in addition activat e signal transduction pathways; Gat found a several clues on stem cell; Thomason et al reported that pluripotent stem cell can be maintained in tissue culture u nder conditions where they can be propagated indefinitely. All these progresses made abroad still a little far away from that obtained by Prof. Xu and his team. With one-year data processing during which historical obstacles was overcome by State Drug Administration, Prof. Xu and his team released news that wound heali ng by regeneration in China played a leading role in the world in March, 2000 wi th support of Dept of Science & Tech of MOH. Today, we are gathering here to hol d a press release on several achievements on skin regeneration and duplication b y steam cell. At the press, the clinical application and results of the research will be made to public. The research on decoding gene for organ duplication by stem cell is still on the way by Prof. Xu and his team. Once completed, it is pr edictable that the realization of regeneration and duplication of other human or gans will be soon the reality.