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Clinical Applications of Epidermal Stem Cells

Clinical Applications of Epidermal Stem Cells

Epidermal stem cells (EpiSCs) are mainly located at the basal layer of the epidermis. These cells repair minor injuries of the skin and replace dead skin cells. However, EpiSCs’ cannot heal severe wounds such as major burns or those from diabetes or hereditary disorders. In such cases, culturing the epidermal stem cells from the patient is possible and has yielded successful treatment options, such as laboratory-grown skin grafts. These grafts are synthesized using a patient’s own...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Apparatus for Harvesting Tissue Microcolumns

Apparatus for Harvesting Tissue Microcolumns

Published on: October 25, 2018

Novel methods for generating fractional epidermal micrografts.

M Purschke¹, F A Asrani, S A Sabir

¹Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

The British Journal of Dermatology

|October 14, 2014

Summary

Two novel strategies for fractional epidermal grafting were compared. Strategy 2, creating microblisters on an adhesive dressing, is more practical for treating larger wounds with less donor-site trauma.

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Area of Science:

Regenerative Medicine
Tissue Engineering
Dermatology

Background:

Epidermal suction blister grafts are effective for chronic wounds and vitiligo.
Current methods are time-consuming and limited to small areas.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare two novel strategies for creating fractional epidermal grafts.
To evaluate their efficiency and scalability for clinical application.

Main Methods:

Two strategies were developed to create fractional epidermal micrografts from human skin ex vivo.
Strategy 1 involved micromeshing and pneumatic expansion of a large blister.
Strategy 2 involved harvesting an array of small blisters directly onto an adhesive dressing.

Main Results:

Both strategies produced viable fractional epidermal microblister arrays on dressings.
Strategy 2 demonstrated advantages, including simplified donor site procedures and scalability.
Microblisters were gradually released upon hydration of the dressing adhesive.

Conclusions:

Strategy 2 is a more practical and scalable method for fractional epidermal micrografting.
This approach reduces donor-site trauma and is suitable for treating larger lesions.
Strategy 2 has been commercialized for clinical use.