Organotypic Skin Culture Systems for In Vitro Growth of Skin Tissues

The document described the use of organotypic culture systems (OCS) for the in vitro growth of skin tissues, highlighting their ability to mimic certain physiological functions of skin, including hair growth. It detailed the process of creating epidermal OCS by seeding keratinocytes on a scaffold with fibroblasts and inducing stratification. The document also noted the potential of OCS for studying human skin diseases and for preclinical anti-alopecia research, as hair follicles can be cultured to grow hair for up to two weeks. Despite their advantages, OCSs were acknowledged to have limitations, such as not fully replicating skin complexity and challenges in studying systemic responses. The document mentioned emerging technologies aimed at addressing these limitations and stressed the importance of validating OCS findings with in vivo studies.