Scientists have successfully found the growth of Complex 3D skin Tissue from stem cells in laboratory. By the complete hair follicles and oil-secreting glands an advance that may lead to functional skin transplants for burn patients.

Many Scientists from different places such as Scientists from RIKEN Centre for Development Biology (CDB), Tokyo University of Science and other institutions in Japan were then understood how to implant these 3D tissues into living mice. Then formed a network of tissues with other organ system such as nerves and muscle fibers.

Epithelial cells have been grown to implantable sheets, where as the only difference is they do not have proper appendages, he oil-secreting and sweat glands which allows them to function as normal tissues. Scientists who worked on this took cells from mouse gums and used chemicals to transform them into stem cells like induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

The cells properly developed into an embryoid body (EB) which means a 3D clump of cells that partially resembles the developing embryo in an actual body. The researchers created EBs from iPS cells and the implanted multiple EBs. These multiple EBs into immune deficient mice. From this they gradually changed into differentiated tissue, which follows the pattern of an embryo.

“Up until now, artificial skin development has been hampered by the fact that the skin lacked the important organs, such as hair follicles and exocrine glands, which allow the skin to play its important role in regulation,” said Takashi Tsuji of the RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology, who led the study. He also said, “With this new technique, we have successfully grown skin that replicates the function of normal tissue.”

“We are coming ever closer to the dream of being able to recreate actual organs in the lab for transplantation, and also believe that tissue grown through this method could be used as an alternative to animal testing of chemicals,” he said.