Stem cells and tissue-engineered skin.

Advances in tissue engineering of skin are needed for clinical applications (as in wound healing and gene therapy) for cutaneous and systemic diseases. In this paper we review the use of epidermal stem cells as a source of cells to improve tissue-engineered skin. We discuss the importance and limitations of epidermal stem cell isolation using biomarkers, in quest of a pure stem cell preparation, as well as the culture conditions necessary to maintain this purity as required for a qualitatively superior and long-lasting engineered skin. Finally, we review the advantages of using additional multipotent stem cell sources to functionally and cosmetically optimize the engineered tissue.