Finding might boost study of skin conditions, and eliminate testing of drugs and cosmetics on animals
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, April 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Skin that was created from stem cells and grown in a lab could be used instead of animals to test drugs and cosmetics, and to develop new treatments for skin disorders, scientists report.
An international team of researchers said it's the first to create lab-grown epidermis -- the outermost layer of skin -- that has a functional barrier like real skin. The functional barrier prevents water from escaping the body and keeps germs and toxins out. Until now, no one had successfully grown epidermis with a functional barrier, which is needed for drug testing, the study authors said.
The research, led by scientists at King's College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center, is described in the current issue of the journal Stem Cell Reports.
The ability to create an unlimited amount of genetically identical skin samples "can be used to study a range of conditions where the skin's barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis (
source : Stem Cells Yield Lab-Grown Skin, Researchers Say