P-17   HAIR FOLLICLE DERMAL CELLS IN SKIN REPLACEMENT

A. Gharzi, A. Reynolds, CAB Jahoda* School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, South Road,University of Durham, UK.

We have recently suggested that adult follicle dermal cells have extensive stem or progenitor cell activities, including an important role in skin dermal wound healing. Given that up to now tissue engineered skin equivalents have several deficiencies, including the absence of hair follicles, we investigated the capacity of follicle dermal cells to create a hair follicle-derived skin equivalent. Using different combinations of follicle dermal cells and outer root sheath epithelial cells in punch biopsy wounds, we showed that new hair follicles were formed only with the inclusion of intact dermal papillae. Then by combining follicle dermal sheath and outer root sheath cells in organotypic chambers, we created a skin equivalent with characteristic dermal and epidermal architecture and a normal basement membrane – the first skin to be produced entirely from hair follicle cells. These data support the hypothesis that follicle dermal cells may be involved in wound healing and demonstrate the potential usefulness of these cells in human skin equivalents and skin substitutes.