Modeling normal and pathological processes through skin tissue engineering.
Skin tissue engineering emerged as an experimental regenerative therapy motivated primarily by the critical need for early permanent coverage of extensive burn injuries in patients with insufficient sources of autologous skin for grafting. With time, the approach evolved toward a wider range of applications including disease modeling. We have established a skin-humanized mouse model system consisting in bioengineered human-skin-engrafted immunodeficient mice. This new model allows to performing regenerative medicine, gene therapy, genomics, and pathology studies in a human context on homogeneous samples. Starting from skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) isolated from normal donor skin or patient's biopsies, we have been able to deconstruct-reconstruct several inherited skin disorders including genodermatoses and cancer-prone diseases in a large number of skin humanized mice. In addition, the model allows conducting studies in normal human skin to gain further insight into physiological processes such as wound healing or UV-responses.
Garcia
Marta
M
Cutaneous Disease Modelling Unit and Regenerative Medicine Unit, CIEMAT, CIBER-ER ISCIII, Av. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Escamez
Maria Jose
MJ
Carretero
Marta
M
Mirones
Isabel
I
Martinez-Santamaria
Lucia
L
Navarro
Manuel
M
Jorcano
Jose L
JL
Meana
Alvaro
A
Del Rio
Marcela
M
Larcher
Fernando
F
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*