Mapping skin: Groundbreaking stem cell research redefines possibilities

The research is part of the ambitious Human Cell Atlas project, which aims to understand how each cell in the human body forms and develops. The ultimate goal of the program is to create a complete cellular map of the human organism.

Professor Muzlifah Haniffa, one of the project's leaders, expressed hope that these discoveries will not only help treat diseases more effectively but also enable ways to extend life in good health and improve skin appearance.

"If we can manipulate the skin to prevent aging, we'll have fewer wrinkles. If we understand how cells change from development to aging, we can try to renew organs, make the heart younger, and give skin a more youthful appearance,” said Professor Haniffa.

Although the prospect of applying these discoveries practically seems distant, scientists have already made significant progress. The latest research focused on how fetal skin cells develop in the early stages of life. Initially, all cells are identical, but after three weeks, specific genes begin to activate, providing instructions on what particular cells should specialize in, forming different body tissues, including skin.

The research team identified which genes activate at the right time and place to form the skin – the largest organ of the human body. Under the microscope, treated with chemicals, these cells resemble small, colourful light spots. Genes responsible for creating the skin surface glow orange, and others, determining its colour, glow yellow. Meanwhile, others form structures that enable hair growth, sweat secretion, and protection against external factors.

Scientists, publishing the results of their research in the journal "Nature," provided detailed instructions on creating human skin. This knowledge opens up broad research opportunities, including finding ways to replicate processes occurring in fetal skin, where scars don't form, in adult skin, which could be useful, for example, in surgery.

One of the most important discoveries was that immune cells play a crucial role in forming blood vessels in the skin. Scientists managed to replicate these processes in the laboratory, manipulating genes and stimulating their appropriate activation, allowing for the cultivation of artificial skin from stem cells. The result of this research was the creation of small skin fragments with hair growing from them.

Professor Haniffa emphasizes that the main goal of this research is to refine the technique so that it can be used in medical practice.

"If we know how to build human skin, we can use this knowledge in treating burn patients by transplanting new tissues. Another example is the ability to create hair follicles, which could help in treating baldness,” explains Professor Haniffa.

Laboratory-produced skin can also be used to study congenital skin diseases and test potential new therapies.

The Human Cell Atlas project, ongoing for eight years, has so far analyzed around 100 million cells from various parts of the body. Preliminary maps of the brain and lungs have already been created, and work is underway on atlases of the kidneys, liver, and heart.

The next step, as announced by Professor Sarah Teichmann from the University of Cambridge, co-founder and one of the leaders of the Human Cell Atlas Consortium, will be to integrate these individual maps into a whole.

"This is incredibly exciting because it gives us a new perspective on human physiology and anatomy. It will allow us to rewrite textbooks on the functioning of our tissues and organs," says Professor Teichmann.