The skin is the largest human organ system. Loss of skin integrity due to injury or illness results in a substantial physiologic imbalance and ultimately in severe disability or death. The most common cause of significant skin loss is thermal injury, followed by trauma and chronic ulcerations.

Over the past decades extraordinary advances have been made in the understanding of cellular and molecular processes of wound healing and the pathobiology of chronic wounds. This knowledge has led to wound care innovations that facilitate more rapid closure of wounds with better functional and...