Skin Repair Discovery

[TECH NEWS]

Researchers at King’s College London and Osaka University in Japan have identified specific bone marrow cells that can transform into skin cells to repair damaged skin tissue, according to a study published April 5 in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Using a mouse model the team has uncovered how this process works, providing new insights into the mechanisms behind skin repair. This significant advance has the potential to revolutionize approaches to wound treatment in the future, which could benefit people with chronic wounds such as leg ulcers, pressure sores and burns, as well as genetic skin diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa, which causes painful blisters on the skin. Professor John McGrath, Head of the Genetic Skin Disease Group at King’s, recently spent several months working on the project in Osaka. He said: “This work is tremendously exciting for the field of regenerative medicine. The key achievement has been to find out which bone marrow cells can transform into skin cells and repair and maintain the skin as healthy tissue, and to learn how this process happens.”

4/5/2011, King’s College London