Full-Thickness Skin with Mature Hair Follicles Generated from Tissue Culture Expanded Human Cells
Authors
Xunwei Wu, MD, PhD, Larry Scott Jr., Ken Washenik, MD, PhD, and Kurt Stenn, MD
Institution
Aderans
Country
United States
Year
2014
Journal
Tissue Engineering
Abstract
The goal of regenerative medicine is to reconstruct fully functional organs from tissue culture expanded human
cells. In this study, we report a method for human reconstructed skin (hRSK) when starting with human cells.
We implanted tissue culture expanded human epidermal and dermal cells into an excision wound on the back of
immunodeficient mice. Pigmented skin covered the wound 4 weeks after implantation. Hair shafts were visible
at 12 weeks and prominent at 14 weeks. Histologically, the hRSK comprises an intact epidermis and dermis
with mature hair follicles, sebaceous glands and most notably, and unique to this system, subcutis. Morphogenesis,
differentiation, and maturation of the hRSK mirror the human fetal process. Human antigen markers
demonstrate that the constituent cells are of human origin for at least 6 months. The degree of new skin
formation is most complete when using tissue culture expanded cells from fetal skin, but it also occurs with
expanded newborn and adult cells; however, no appendages formed when we grafted both adult dermal and
epidermal cells. The hRSK system promises to be valuable as a laboratory model for studying biological,
pathological, and pharmaceutical problems of human skin.