Epidermal stem and transit amplifying cells

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Stem cells are frequently in the news. Most of the public debate on stem cells centres on the use of cell lines made from embryos left over from fertility treatments. However, stem cells from adult tissues are already in routine clinical use, for example in bone marrow transplantation. My laboratory studies adult stem cells in the outer covering of the skin, the epidermis. I am studying the molecular make-up of epidermal stem cells and investigating what happens to stem cells when they are stimulated to divide. My work is of practical benefit for three reasons. The first is that it may lead to improvements in the quality of skin grafts that are prepared by growing epidermis in culture. Secondly, it may provide information about stem cells in other adult tissues, such as muscle and brain, because the molecules and mechanisms I study may have similar functions throughout the body. Thirdly, by identifying the molecules that control stem cell division I may find new targets of anti-cancer drugs.