Skin Stem Cells Identified

Fight Aging!

Do you want to live a longer life in good health? Simple practices can make some difference, such as exercise or calorie restriction. But over the long haul all that really matters is progress in medicine: building new classes of therapy to repair and reverse the known root causes of aging. The sooner these treatments arrive, the more lives will be saved. Find out how to help »

(From Betterhumans). Researchers claim to have identified adult skin stem cells capable of differentiating into all kinds of skin tissue - at least in mice. "We've identified cells within skin that bear all the characteristics of true stem cells - the ability for self renewal and the multipotency required to differentiate into all lineages of epidermis and hair." This raises the possibility of a regenerative cure for baldness based on stem cell medicine - something I mentioned briefly earlier this year. More importantly, the ability to manipulate and use multipotent skin stem cells should bring a welcome boost to regenerative medicine for a variety of serious injuries and conditions.

Link: http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-09-02-4