Epidermal stem and transit amplifying cells

干细胞经常出现在新闻中。关于干细胞的大多数公众辩论都集中在使用由生育治疗遗留下来的胚胎制成的细胞系上。然而，来自成人组织的干细胞已经在常规临床上使用，例如用于骨髓移植。我的实验室研究皮肤外层，即表皮中的成体干细胞。我正在研究表皮干细胞的分子组成，并研究干细胞在受到刺激分裂时会发生什么。我的工作具有实际意义，原因有三。首先，它可能会提高皮肤移植物的质量，这种皮肤移植物是通过在培养中生长表皮来制备的。其次，它可能提供有关其他成人组织中干细胞的信息，如肌肉和大脑，因为我研究的分子和机制可能在整个身体具有类似的功能。第三，通过识别控制干细胞分裂的分子，我可能会发现抗癌药物的新靶点。

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.