Scientists develop skin from hair cells
February 11, 2008 - 12:35PM
In a breakthrough for patients with serious burns and chronic wounds,
German researchers have developed a method to artificially grow skin
cells in a lab that are derived from a patient's own stem cells found
within hair roots.
This work has potential for all kinds of clinical and biomedical
applications, such as plastic and reconstructive surgery, and
development of specialised implants.
"We pluck a few hairs off the back of the patient's head and extract
adult stem cells from their roots, which we then proliferate in a
cell culture for about two weeks," said Dr Andreas Emmendorffer,
managing director of EuroDerm corporation.
EuroDerm, along with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and
Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig, has been granted approval to produce
artificial skin from patients' own cells.
"Then we reduce the nutrient solution until it no longer covers the
upper sides of the cells, exposing them to the surrounding air. The
increased pressure exerted by the oxygen on the surfaces of the cells
causes them to differentiate into skin cells," said Emmendorffer.
In this way, the researchers can grow numerous small pieces of skin,
produced individually for each patient, which add up to a surface
area of 10 to 100 square centimetres when pieced together.
To ensure that they comply with the safety regulations at all times,
the researchers are using new clean rooms at the IZI, a state-of-the-
art facility for producing different kinds of cell therapeutics.
"We continuously measure the number of particles in the clean rooms.
If there are too many particles in the air, an alarm goes off," says
IZI team leader Dr Gerno Schmiedeknecht.
The researchers expect to grow skin grafts for 10 to 20 patients a
month in 2008, depending on how many doctors prescribe this therapy.
At present, chronic wounds are treated by grafting on the patients'
own skin, which is normally taken from the thigh.
This leaves scars on both the thigh and the treated wound.
"If we produce this skin using the recently approved EpiDex technique
instead, we can achieve the same chances of recovery without hurting
the patient. Moreover, the artificial skin grows onto the wound
without scarring," said Emmendorffer.
Another advantage is that the transplantation can be performed on an
outpatient basis. A few days later, it is already possible to see
whether the new skin has adhered to the wound.
And 72 days later, the grafted skin can no longer be distinguished
from healthy skin.
http://news.
cells/20080211-
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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