The State Of Cell Therapies In Dermatology

By Jasmina Jankicevic

Skin contains essential stem cell populations and other cell types that are critical for renewing and maintaining its structural integrity and function. Of the many types of skin stem cells that have been identified, epidermal stem cells — primarily keratinocyte stem cells — are recognized to play the key role in tissue repair and skin regeneration. Most epidermal stem cells reside in the basal layer of the epidermis. These cells have been characterized as rare, infrequently dividing, and capable of generating the short-lived, rapidly dividing cells involved in regenerating the epidermis and repairing skin injury.

In this article, we discuss the obstacles of developing cell therapies as well as the current status of cell-based therapies in dermatology.