Functional Skin Grafts: Where Biomaterials Meet Stem Cells

The document from July 1, 2019, reviews the progress and challenges in skin tissue engineering, with a focus on creating functional skin grafts by combining biomaterials and stem cells. It outlines the complexity of replicating native skin due to its structure and cell-matrix interactions, and the need for 3D constructs that maintain cell functionality. The review discusses the importance of hypodermal engineering, pigmentation, and vasculature in wound healing, and compares different cell sources like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs, MSCs, and ADSCs. It emphasizes the role of biomaterials in scaffold fabrication, detailing the required characteristics for successful tissue repair and regeneration. The document also explores the use of nanotechnology in scaffold fabrication and targeted delivery of growth factors, and the potential of stem cell technology in promoting angiogenesis and tissue formation. It concludes that while advancements have been made, more work is needed to understand tissue differentiation in artificial systems and to scale findings to clinically relevant skin grafts.