Japanese scientists at the Riken Centre, University of Tokyo, have succeeded in creating “complete” synthetic skin tissue (with sudoriparous and sebaceous glands) from iPS cells. They then successfully implanted this three-dimensional tissue in living mice. The synthetic skin established connections with subcutaneous nerves and muscle fibres. This work paves the way for the creation of transplantable human skin for the treatment of serious burns.
Previous studies in this field have led to the cultivation of skin cells “on implantable layers” but without sebaceous and sudoriparous glands, which allow them to function normally.
“Our research shows that organs or biological tissues can be cultivated using stem cells. This heralds an extremely important advance in terms of medical science. Our project is essentially aimed at establishing a means of synthesising the epidermis and transplanting it in the event of serious wounds,” explained Takashi Tsuji, Project Manager.
Medical press (1/04/2016)