Wound Healing: A Paradigm for Regeneration

The document from 2013 explores the intricacies of wound healing and its implications for regenerative medicine. It details the roles of different cell types, including stem cells from various skin regions, and the dynamic nature of the extracellular matrix in skin repair. The review also discusses the potential of stem cells in regenerating complex tissue structures and the importance of the stem cell niche. It highlights the unique, scarless healing of fetal wounds and the plasticity of adult skin cells, including the possibility of transdifferentiation. Advances in bioengineering, such as tissue-engineered skin grafts with decellularized scaffolds and controlled-release systems for growth factors, are also covered. The document underscores the need to understand the interactions between cells, the matrix, and biochemical signals to advance regenerative therapies and suggests that principles learned from cutaneous healing could apply to other tissues.