The First Cut Is the Deepest: The History and Development of Safe Treatments for Wound Healing and Tissue Repair.

As the skin is the primary barrier to infection, the importance of wound healing has been understood since ancient times. This article provides a synopsis on the symposium presentations focusing on how wounds were traditionally treated, what models and pathology endpoints exist to study wound healing, special considerations for wound healing studies, an overview of regulatory aspects of new pharmaceutical and medical device development, and the clinical relevance of such models. The clinical treatment of small and large wounds is also considered.