Skin

The skin is the largest tissue with several important functions. In healthy organisms, the skin integrity and aging properties are always supported by a group of cells including dermal fibroblasts, epidermal stem cells, etc. Studies have indicated that the skin aging process is directly associated with proliferative impairment of resident fibroblasts and a reduction in the capacity to self-renew and differentiate. Due to these properties, cells isolated from the skin as a source are identified to be important tools for various studies pertaining to cosmetics, wound healing, gene therapy, and cell-based therapies.

The cells are isolated from the post-auricular biopsy tissues collected during cosmetic surgeries, under informed consent, and are grown in vitro for various therapeutic and research applications. The cells are quality controlled as per proposed guidelines to assess their morphological relevance, growth rate potential, adherence properties, melanin synthesis potential, and presence of surface marker characterization. The cell sources are assessed for the absence of infectious markers, suggested by regulatory guidelines.