Abstract
Cultured human keratinocytes have a wide spectrum of clinical applications. Clinical results reported by several investigators are, however, contradictory. In this review, the authors discuss the biological and surgical issues which play a key role in the clinical outcome of cultured epidermal autografts used for the treatment of massive full-thickness burns. The importance of cultivation of epidermal stem cells and of their transplantation onto a wound bed prepared with donor dermis is emphasised. The paper also reviews recent data showing that: (i) cultured epidermal autografts bearing melanocytes can be used for the treatment of stable vitiligo; (ii) keratinocytes isolated from other lining epithelia, such as oral, urethral and corneal epithelia, can be cultivated and grafted onto patients suffering from disabling epithelial defects; (iii) keratinocyte stem cells can be stably transduced with retroviral vectors and are therefore attractive targets for the gene therapy of genodermatoses.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 778-790 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 6 |
Publication status | Published - Nov 1998 |
Keywords
- Burns
- Epidermis
- Gene therapy
- Genodermatoses
- Keratinocyte
- Melanocyte
- Skin
- Stem cell
- Tissue engineering
- Vitiligo
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biomedical Engineering
- Health Informatics
- Health Information Management
- Computer Science Applications
- Computational Theory and Mathematics