UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Laboratory Skin Grown

Monday 28^th April 2014

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Good news today from the BBC who reported that laboratory grown skin may do away with the need for animal testing for drugs and cosmetics as a team of scientists from Kings College London report having grown a layer of skin from stem cells - the master cells of our bodies. 

This is not the first time that skin has been grown from Stem cells but the researchers have said that the results of their latest work has been more skin like as it has been grown with a permeable barrier.   And the very good news for the animal rights contingent is that using laboratory grown skin instead of animals for testing cosmetics and drugs will be more cost effective.

The outermost layer of human skin, known as the epidermis, provides a protective barrier that stops moisture escaping and microbes entering.  The skin that has been grown by the Kings College Team was developed in a low humidity environment using reprogrammed skin cells and produced a barrier that was very similar to that found in normal skin.  The implications of this seem to be very exciting as another hurdle is overcome by medical science.

 Amanda Thomas 

 UK Health Radio 

 Medical News On the Hour 

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