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REVIEW article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1536423

The use of human tissue surrogates in anatomical modeling for gunshot wounds simulations: an overview about "how to do" experimental terminal ballistics

Provisionally accepted
Lucas Meciano Pereira dos Santos Lucas Meciano Pereira dos Santos 1Marcelo Rodrigues da Cunha Marcelo Rodrigues da Cunha 2*Carlos Henrique Bertoni Reis Carlos Henrique Bertoni Reis 3*Daniela Vieira Buchaim Daniela Vieira Buchaim 4*Ana Paula Bernardes da Rosa Ana Paula Bernardes da Rosa 5*Leandro Moreira Tempest Leandro Moreira Tempest 5*José Augusto Parola da Cruz José Augusto Parola da Cruz 5*Rogério Leone Buchaim Rogério Leone Buchaim 6João Paulo Mardegan Issa João Paulo Mardegan Issa 1*
  • 1 University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 3 Universidade de Marília, Marilia, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • 4 University of São Paulo, Bauru, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 5 University Center of the North of São Paulo (UNORTE), São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
  • 6 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry of Bauru, University of São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Human tissue simulating materials are currently used in scientific research mainly because they help to avoid possible ethical issues, unlike what happens with studies involving live animals and/or human cadavers. The use of ballistic gelatin as a human soft tissue surrogate stands out, although other types of materials can be used, including polyurethane and polydimethylsiloxane in the simulation of bones and skin respectively, not to mention some computational models that completely replace the physical use of surrogate models for gunshot wound simulation. The use of tissue surrogates can be useful in reconstructing the dynamics of a crime scene when important traces cannot be found. In the absence of projectiles but in possession of the possible firearm used in the crime, for example, it is possible to verify whether the weapon in question actually fired the fatal gunshot by comparing the injury found on the victim with the injury produced on the simulant material that best represents the anatomical area impacted, as indicated in the literature. Thus, scientific advances in experimental research in terminal ballistics with tissue surrogates can positively impact applied forensic sciences in the search for better technical assistance to the Justice system in solving criminal situations.

    Keywords: Forensic Pathology, Ballistics, Gunshot wounds, Anatomic models, Polymers, gelatin Material Key properties Elasticity Reproducibility Ethical considerations

    Received: 28 Nov 2024; Accepted: 02 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 dos Santos, da Cunha, Reis, Buchaim, da Rosa, Tempest, da Cruz, Buchaim and Issa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Marcelo Rodrigues da Cunha, Faculty of Medicine of Jundiaí, Jundiaí, 13202-550, São Paulo, Brazil
    Carlos Henrique Bertoni Reis, Universidade de Marília, Marilia, 17525-902, Sao Paulo, Brazil
    Daniela Vieira Buchaim, University of São Paulo, Bauru, Bauru, 17012-901, São Paulo, Brazil
    Ana Paula Bernardes da Rosa, University Center of the North of São Paulo (UNORTE), São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
    Leandro Moreira Tempest, University Center of the North of São Paulo (UNORTE), São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
    José Augusto Parola da Cruz, University Center of the North of São Paulo (UNORTE), São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
    João Paulo Mardegan Issa, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-040, São Paulo, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.