Biomask project could regrow burn victims' faces

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BiomaskWe know it's cliche to say something sounds like science fiction, but this is seriously one of the more far out there concepts we've ever heard. Researchers from UT Arlington and Northwestern University are working with surgeons from the Brooke Army Medical Center on a project called Biomask. The idea is to skip surgery and have patients wear a mask, layered with sensors, actuators and medicine delivery tools for several months while their face slowly regenerates. The outside of the medical miracle would be a hard shell to protect the electronics and the injured person's healing face. Underneath, a second layer would monitor tissue growth, watch for infections and feed data back to doctors. An on board system would be able to dynamically alter the treatment, sending antibiotics or stem cells where they're needed. The team actually hope to turn this facial reconstruction mask into a reality by 2017, a goal that we'll diplomatically call optimistic. Full PR is after the break.

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Biomask project could regrow burn victims' faces originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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