Skin Cell Cultures and Skin Engineering

Abstract

This chapter is focused on skin regeneration with cultured cells and bioengineered skin substitutes. Different kinds of multipotent stem cells can be found in hair and skin tissues. Cell culture is a well-established research tool in biology and medicine. Several cell culture techniques have been developed in order to obtain different cell types. Different culture techniques will be discussed (use of proteolytic enzymes, 3D cultures, and automatic bioprocessing). Several skin regeneration approaches will be described. In the field of aesthetic medicine, the injection of autologous cultured cells seems to be a good method to restore aging skin. Nevertheless its application is far from being widespread. The challenge of current bioengineering efforts is to generate functional organ systems from dissociated cells that have been expanded under defined tissue culture conditions. Tissue engineering is emerging as a significant potential solution for tissue and organ failure. Clinical applications, efficacy and safety, and trends and limitations of the current techniques will also be discussed. Even though there is still a long way to go, the rise of cell culture and tissue engineering is providing powerful tools for regenerative medicine evolution. Further large-scale and rigorous studies with long-term follow-up should be performed to assess the safety of cell culture and skin substitutes. Great improvements have been made in this field, and now the challenge is its application to routine clinical practice.