How a human skin atlas could help slow aging

THE fur It is the largest organ in the human body and its functions are transcendental for life, including being a protective bar against external agents, regulate body temperature by the dilation and contraction of blood vessels and even intervene in synthesis of vitamin D .

The most visible signs of the disease are also reflected on our skin. aging : As this biological process progresses, the dermis and epidermis become thinner, elasticity and fat disappear.

Now a team of scientists made an important discovery that could help improve skin grafts for burn victims. This is the first single-cell atlas of prenatal human skin, this allows us to understand how the skin develops and gives the “recipe” to achieve it.

In addition to being a tool for grafts and scarring, researchers believe it could help fight aging.

“If we can manipulate the skin and prevent aging, we will have fewer wrinkles” underlined the BBC Muzlifah Haniffa, researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

“If we can understand how cells evolve from their initial development to aging in adulthood, then we can ask, ‘How can I rejuvenate the organs, rejuvenate the heart?’ How can I rejuvenate my skin?’ “, she added.

The study results were recently published in the journal Nature .

In their study, the team of researchers from University of Newcastle and the Welcome to the Sanger Institute It was proposed to analyze in depth how human skin is generated.

Discovering this process could help reveal how specific mutations can cause congenital skin diseases, including bladder disorders and scaly skin, according to a release.

Their work took place as part of a larger international project called Human Cell Atlas which aims to describe all cell types in the human body, from development to old age.

Researchers from Newcastle University and the Wellcome Sanger Institute used prenatal skin tissue samples to analyze individual cells in suspension and cells located in tissue.

They then applied single-cell sequencing techniques and other modern methods to study individual cells in space and time, as well as cellular changes that may regulate skin development.

Using adult stem cells, they managed to generate a “mini-organ” of skin on a plate, called an organoid, which could form hair. After comparing the molecular characteristics of the skin organoid with prenatal skin, they noted that the skin organoid model resembled prenatal skin much more than adult skin.

One of the main findings was that blood vessels did not form as well in the skin organoid as in prenatal skin. However, By adding immune system cells called macrophages, they could promote the development of blood vessels in the skin.

Although they previously knew that macrophages had a protective role so that the skin does not become infected, this is the first time that scientists have been able to demonstrate that they also contribute to the growth of blood vessels.

The team also found that Macrophages may play an important role in skin repair without leaving scars which could in the future “provide information on clinical advances aimed at preventing scarring after surgery”, said Hudaa Gopee, a researcher at Newcastle University.

The results of the study provided the team with a molecular formula for the development of human skin and hair follicles.

Haniffa told the BBC that “If we know how to create human skin, we can use it for burn patients and it may be a way to transplant tissue” . Knowing how hair follicles are created can be helpful in “generating hair in bald people.”

Researchers believe that another use that can be given to the human skin atlas is understand in depth congenital skin hair diseases and methods that can help treat them.