Complex skin tissue successfully grown in lab conditions

Japanese scientists have succeeded in growing complex skin tissue in laboratory conditions for the first time.

A team from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, working with the Tokyo University of Science and other Japanese institutions, have used reprogrammed iPS cells to grow skin tissue complete with hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

It was subsequently possible to implant these three-dimensional tissues into living mice, with the cells going on to form proper connections with other organ systems, such as nerves and muscle fibres.

In the past, skin cells have been successfully grown into implantable sheets, but previously did not have all of the necessary components, including oil-secreting and sweat glands, that would be necessary to allow them to function as normal tissue.

Study leader Takashi Tsuji of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology said: "We are coming ever closer to the dream of being able to recreate actual organs in the lab for transplantation, and also believe that tissue grown through this method could be used as an alternative to animal testing of chemicals."