Researchers unveil new 'recipe' for human skin creation

These findings hold potential for applications in regenerative medicine, such as creating new hair follicles and improving skin transplant procedures for burn victims.

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Newcastle University researchers, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and their collaborators utilized single-cell sequencing and other genomic techniques to develop an atlas and gain insights into the formation of human skin, including hair follicles.

Published in Nature, the study also involved creating a “mini organ” in a dish capable of growing hair. By using this organoid, the researchers demonstrated the significant role immune cells play in scar-free repair, paving the way for clinical advancements to prevent scarring after surgery or enable scarless healing following injuries.

Exciting Strides:

As part of the Human Cell Atlas initiative, which aims to map all cell types in the human body to revolutionize the understanding of health and disease, researchers have provided a molecular “recipe” for constructing skin and developed a new organoid model to study congenital skin disorders.

The skin, the body's largest organ, spans an average of two square meters. It serves as a protective barrier, regulates body temperature, and possesses self-regenerative capabilities. It develops in the sterile environment of the womb, with all hair follicles forming before birth. Although follicles undergo cycles after birth, no new ones are created. Remarkably, before birth, the skin can heal wounds without leaving scars.