Scientists develop breakthrough artificial skin treatment

In a breakthrough that could make skin transplants to burn victims or other patients in need of new skin, Japanese researchers have successfully reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) into a functional integumentary system, according to a new study.
The research, published Friday in the journal Science Advances, also involved implanting these 3D tissues into living mice, scientists from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) and their colleagues explained. Once implanted into the creatures, the bioengineered tissues were able to connect to the nerve, muscle and other organ systems.
The bioengineered skin tissue even included hair follicles and sebaceous glands, and could open the door for replacement therapy in human victims requiring new skin. Their work marks a new breakthrough in the development of lab-created skin, as prior attempts to create epithelial tissue lacked the oil-secreting and sweat glands necessary for normal function.
“Until now, artificial skin development has been hampered by the fact that the skin lacked the important organs, such as hair follicles and exocrine glands, which allow the skin to play its important role in regulation,” lead author Takashi Tsuji of the RIKEN Center’s Laboratory for Organ Regeneration explained in a statement.
“With this new technique, we have successfully grown skin that replicates the function of normal tissue,” he added. “We are coming ever closer to the dream of being able to recreate actual organs in the lab for transplantation, and also believe that tissue grown through this method could be used as an alternative to animal testing of chemicals.”
Inclusion of hair follicles, sebaceous glands a big step forward
Tsuji and his fellow researchers started by taking cells from the gums of mice, then they used special chemicals to transform them into iPS cells. Those cells were then converted into a mass of cells known as an embryoid body through the use of Wnt10b signaling before being implanted into immune-deficient mice, where they gradually changed into other types of tissues.
After the tissues differentiated, the study authors removed them from the mice, then implanted them into another group of older mice, where they developed  into integumentary tissue, or the tissue between the outer and inner layers of skin responsible for fat excretion and the eruption of the hair shaft.
More importantly, Tsuji’s team found that these tissues were able to connect with surrounding nerve and muscle tissue to enable normal function within the body. Furthermore, because these cells were treated with the signaling molecule Wnt10b, they were able to produce a significant amount of hair follicles, thus making the bioengineered integumentary system closer to natural tissues, the researchers said.
“The bioengineered hair follicles in the 3D integumentary organ system also showed proper hair eruption and hair cycles, including the rearrangement of follicular stem cells and their niches,” the authors wrote in their paper. “Potential applications of the 3D integumentary organ system include an in vitro assay system, an animal model alternative, and a bioengineered organ replacement therapy.”
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