In vitro skin models and the GCU Skin Tissue Bank

We have developed several 2D and 3D models of mouse and human skin within the Martin laboratory. These models have been used for studies into the cell-cell communication via gap junctions and connexin hemichannels of epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, and in particular the role of connexins in wound healing. They have also allowed us to examine many areas in skin and wound-healing biology, including proliferation and differentiation markers in the skin, genes involved in wound healing, the role of diabetes and the IGF system in wound healing, and the interaction of keratinocytes and fibroblasts with the extra-cellular matrix. The 3D skin models have been developed to be amenable to live cell staining and confocal microscopy. These models are now being expanded to use cells from diabetic human sources which will give further insight into the differences between normal and diabetic wound healing and aid the development of new wound healing therapies. Central to obtaining skin cells from diabetic tissue has been the formation of the GCU Skin Tissue Bank, which allows clinical samples to be brought in to our laboratory