As part of a study aimed at understanding how the human body generates skin, this discovery may eventually be used to slow down signs of aging.
A group of scientists has uncovered how the human body produces skin from stem cells and has even managed to recreate a small amount of skin in the laboratory. This research is part of an effort to understand how cells create each part of the human body. In addition to combating the aging process, these findings could also be used to produce artificial skin for grafting and scar prevention.
By understanding how skin develops, researchers hope to slow down signs of aging.
The Human Cell Atlas project is one of the most ambitious research programs in the field of biology. This international project is currently focused at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK.
One of the project leaders, Professor Muzlifah Haniffa, stated that the project will help scientists treat diseases more effectively, discover new ways to help us stay healthy longer, and even potentially help us look younger. “If we understand how cells change from early development to aging in adulthood, then we can learn how to rejuvenate organs and how to achieve younger-looking skin,” said Professor Haniffa.
A small patch of skin cultured in the lab.
Although this vision is still quite far off, researchers have recently made significant progress, particularly in understanding how skin cells develop in the fetus—the early stage of human development.
When the egg is fertilized for the first time, all human cells are the same. However, after three weeks, specific genes within these “stem cells” are activated, providing instructions on how to specialize and cluster together to form different parts of the body. Researchers have identified which genes are turned on at what times and in which locations to form the body’s largest organ: skin.
Published in the journal Nature, researchers have essentially obtained a guide to generating human skin, opening up countless exciting possibilities. For instance, scientists have learned that fetal skin can heal without leaving scars. This guide contains detailed information on this process, and a new area of research will explore whether this can be replicated in adult skin for surgical use.
A developing human foot, with different colored spots indicating genes that form bones, muscles, and cartilage.
In another significant breakthrough, scientists have discovered that immune cells play a crucial role in the formation of blood vessels in the skin. They used chemicals to turn genes on and off at the right times and in the right places to cultivate artificial skin from stem cells. So far, they have successfully cultured small patches of skin, and according to Professor Haniffa, the ultimate goal is to refine this technique. “If you know how to create human skin, you can use it as a tissue graft for burn patients. Another example is if you can create hair follicles to promote hair growth for those who are bald,” she said.
Genes activated to develop the lower intestine.
Artificial skin could also be used to understand genetic skin diseases and test potential new treatments.
The Human Cell Atlas project has analyzed 100 million cells from various parts of the body over eight years of operation. The project has created maps of the brain and lungs, and researchers are currently studying the kidneys, liver, and heart.
According to Professor Sarah Teichmann of the University of Cambridge, one of the founding scientists and leaders of the Human Cell Atlas, the next phase is to stitch together individual maps. “This is incredibly exciting because it provides us with new insights into physiology, anatomy, and humanity itself. It will lead to rewriting textbooks about ourselves, our tissues, and organs, and how they function,” she said.
Guidelines on how other parts of the body develop will be published in the coming months—until we finally have a complete picture of how humans are created.
