THE TECHNOLOGY & ADVANTAGES

Human amniotic membrane (HAM) or amnion has been used for management of skin burns and superficial wounds since early 20th century. Thereafter, fresh and preserved amnion has been widely used effectively as a biological dressing for acute burns, skin ulcers, in surgical reconstruction of the oral cavity, bladder and vagina, also for tymanoplasty, arthroplasty and repair of omphaloceles. Subsequently HAM is also used for management of conjunctival defects and other ocular surgeries. 

HAM is proved to be very useful as a biological skin substitute because it is not an immunogenic tissue, it is bacteriostatic, antiphlogistic, it reduces angiogenesis, inhibits fibroblast function by reducing cicatricial tissue, it prevents degradation of collagen, and it facilitates epithelization. 

Dried HAM contains collagen matrix and key bioactive molecules like fibronectin, laminin, glycosaminoglycans and elastin. Air dried HAM with the advantage of storage at room temperature as well as funcational effeciency is an ideal dressing for burn wound care. Cryopreserved HAM has been widely explored as a biological dressing but require special storage condition. 

USM Tissue Bank has the capability to process and provide HAM at safety, quality and availability needed as a biological dressing and various application in regenerative medicine. Our products are halal and syariah-compliant.

THE SCREENING AND PROCESSING

HAM is a protective sac for the fetus during pregnancy. It is attached to the placenta after delivery. HAM is recovered under full informed consent of the mothers as living donors for the tissue to be donated. Prior to donation, the donor's medical/social history is screened for medical conditions or diseases that would contraindicate the donation of the HAM.

Testing of donor serum taken at the time of recovery must be found negative or non-reactive for Hepatitis B surface antigen, Hepatitis C antibody, HIV 1 & 2 antibody, and Syphilies (RPR) for minimal requirement. Global swab of the individual tissues colledted will be cultured for microbial and fungal contaminants. 

Cleaning, cutting, presevation and packaging of the amnion are performed under controlled conditions (clean room environment), tripled packed and steriled by gamma irradiation at Malaysian Nuclear Agency. 

OUR PRODUCTS

We produce and preserve our HAM by using 3 techniques:

1) air-dried technique,

2) glycerol preservation,

3) glycerol cryopreservation.

Wound coverings with amniotic tissue provide optimum physiological conditions for healing. The amniotic tissue adheres to the wounds to reduce pain and diminish infection, promoting reepithilisation. In addition, it allows exchange of water vapour and maintains an appropriate degree of humidity of the lesion to prevent dehydration.

Amniotic membrane is commonly used to treat open wounds including superficial burns (1st and 2nd degrees), diabetic ulcers, post-traumatic wounds, skin graft donor sites and dermabrasions. In ophthalmic practices, it is used for corneal ulcer and ocular surface surgeries.