Artificial skin is a synthetic (laboratory produced) substitute
for human skin that can dramatically save the lives of severely
burned patients. Skin, composed of two layers called epidermis
(the outer layer) and dermis (the inner layer), is the largest
human organ. It covers the entire body, keeping harmful bacteria
out and vital fluids in. The epidermis is the outer layer; the
dermis is the inner layer that contains the blood vessels,
nerves, and hair, oil, and sweat glands. A severe burn leaves
the body dangerously vulnerable to infection and dehydration
(drying out). Keeping burn patients in sterile (germ free) rooms
can protect against infection, and covering burned areas with
grafts (a piece of skin or bone transplanted from one area of
the body to another) from the patient's own skin or temporary
grafts from other humans or pigs can help save some patients.
Still, many burn patients die because their bodies cannot
produce large quantities of new skin quickly enough, or because
their bodies reject the s