November, 2004

Dear Readers,

Section Editor, Stephen C. Davis, has assembled a wonderful series of articles for this issue on Animal Models in Wound Healing. Davis worked for many years in this area of research with Patricia Mertz and William Eaglstein at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, in Miami, Florida. This group of investigators has had the privilege of testing most of the new approaches and products that have become important in the armamentarium for wound treatment. In his editorial message, Davis discusses the importanc

T here are many ways to enhance wound healing and repair in mammals. However, mammals do not have the ability to regenerate limbs.1,2 That is, tissue will not grow in a new direction and begin to form new tissue, let alone completely form a functional organ. Regeneration is often seen in amphibians. There are examples of this occurrence in mammals. Every year, male deer grow antlers that fall off and then re-grow,3–5 and human fingertips have been shown to regenerate.6–9
An interesting discovery surfaced many years ago. If a hole is created through the

T he major focus of our laboratory has been the creation and implementation of animal models that assist in the study of wound healing and infection. For the past 20 years, I have had the privilege to work with William H. Eaglstein, MD, and Patricia M. Mertz to expand current knowledge of moist wound healing1–6 and evaluate the in-vivo effects of numerous agents on bacterial proliferation7–17 to determine mechanisms and comparative efficacies of various products and technologies, which are now being used clinically.1,18–22
Our goal has been to d

B acteria exist in the three common forms: free floating or planktonic, colonies, or biofilms. After the planktonic bacteria attach to a surface, they begin to live in groups, forming microcolonies that are embedded in self-produced extracellular matrices of hydrated extrapolymeric substances (EPS). During biofilm formation, the bacteria communicate to one another (through quorum sensing) to multiply. This cell-to-cell signaling also regulates several physiological properties, including the ability to incorporate foreign DNA, formation and maintenance of biofilm structure, and virulent facto