Silk Gel Recruits Specific Cell Populations for Scarless Skin Regeneration

The study demonstrated that silk fibroin-derived hydrogel was more effective than alginate-derived hydrogel in promoting scarless skin regeneration. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers found that silk gel recruited more pro-regenerative macrophages and hair follicle stem cells, which are crucial for scarless healing. An off-the-shelf silk gel scaffold was also developed and showed superior efficacy compared to autologous skin grafts in porcine models. This research highlighted the potential of silk gel for skin regeneration and provided a strategy for selecting biomaterials based on their ability to recruit specific cell populations.