Abstract
Stem cells are unspecialized cells potentially used to repair and restore lost or defective function of tissues, and are increasingly being recognized as a futuristic therapy. Their differentiation potential ranges from pluripotent to unipotent. Skin has a diversified pool of stem cells that regularly repair or regenerate skin. The pathophysiology of skin repair and regeneration has immensely increased the interest of clinicians and researchers in skin stem cells. Dermal mesenchymal stem cells have been recognized as the source for replenishing dermal fibroblasts. Skin injury response stimulates the epidermal stem cells and follicular stem cells for re-epithelization and healing. Melanocyte stem cells are crucial in maintaining skin and hair color, while sebaceous gland stem cells contribute towards maintaining the barrier function of the skin. Other than this, skin is also known as the homing site of hematopoietic stem cells, which essentially maintains the skin lymphocyte subtypes and contributes to skin immunity. The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells has created new hopes for patients with genetic diseases. Correcting the genetic variations that result in disease and restoration of the natural protein expression is an exciting part of stem cell research. Several promising clinical trials have been done to correct skin diseases using melanocytes, keratinocytes, and mesenchymal stem cells. Still, there is a need to understand the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapies based on racial or ethnic differences. At present, we lack long follow-up clinical trials for skin diseases. Integration with bioengineering has improved the working of stem cells by providing a tissue-specific base to grow. The use of such biomaterials has succeeded in develo** stem cell scaffolds. The biocompatibility of such materials however must be increased. The future of bioengineering is directed at the construction of various tissues including the skin, by using stem cells. Potential treatments are still some years away from clinical use, but results so far are promising.
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Kumar, V., Handa, S. (2022). Stem Cells in Dermatology: What the Future May Hold. In: Sobti, R., Ganju, A.K. (eds) Biomedical Translational Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8845-4_2
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