LONDON: British scientists have developed the first labgrown epidermis — the outermost skin layer — which may replace animal testing. The new epidermis offers a cost-effective alternative lab model for testing drugs and cosmetics , and could also help to develop new therapies for rare and common skin disorders.
An international team led by King's College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center has developed the epidermis with a functional permeability barrier similar to real skin. The new epidermis was grown from human pluripotent stem cells.
The epidermis forms a protective interface between the body and its external environment . The research used reprogrammed skin cells — which offer a way to produce an unlimited supply of the main type of skin cell found in the epidermis . They grew the skin cells in a low humidity environment, which gave them a barrier similar to that of true skin.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Lab-grown-skin-to-replace-animal-testing/articleshow/34222061.cms
