Enhancement of wound healing by growth factors.

The early work on growth factors raised hopes of new insights into cancer. In addition, even before Cohen and Levi-Montalcini shared a Nobel prize in 1986 for their work on epidermal and nerve growth factors, it was clear that the effect of growth factors on wound healing would be studied. Rarely is cell replication as rapid as it is in wounds. Many poorly healing wounds appear to be failures of this process, and enhancement of the growth signal seems to be a logical therapy. It even seems possible that the pace of "normal" repair might be accelerated. Unfortunately, the conditions . . .