A WORLD WITHOUT SCARS: Regenerating wounded skin rather than patching with scars

Projektinformationen

ScarLessWorld

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 819933

DOI

10.3030/819933

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 13 März 2019

Startdatum 1 April 2019

Enddatum 31 März 2024

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Gesamtkosten

€ 1 997 890,00

EU-Beitrag

€ 1 997 890,00

Koordiniert durch

HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - ScarLessWorld (A WORLD WITHOUT SCARS: Regenerating wounded skin rather than patching with scars)

Berichtszeitraum: 2023-10-01 bis 2024-03-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

How do scars form? Does Fascia have a function as a repository of mobile scar tissue

Abnormal scarring is a serious threat resulting in non-healing chronic wounds or fibrosis. Scars form when fibroblasts, a type of cell of connective tissue, reach wounded skin and deposit plugs of extracellular matrix. Until today, the question about the exact anatomical origin of these fibroblasts has not been answered. In order to find potential ways of influencing the scarring process, , aimed to finally find an answer. As it was already known that all scars derive from a fibroblast lineage expressing the Engrailed-1 gene – a lineage not only present in skin, but also in fascia – the researchers intentionally tried to understand whether or not fascia might be the origin of fibroblasts.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

Fibroblasts kit – ready to heal wounds
In order to find out, they used an array of techniques including genetic lineage tracing, anatomical fate mapping, and genetic ablation, a method which in selected cells leads to apoptosis, cell death. This extinguished the fascia fibroblasts. It was discovered that no matrix was incorporated into the wounds and only abnormal and unhealthy scars with major disadvantages were formed.

In another approach the team placed a porous film beneath the skin to prevent fascia fibroblasts from migrating upwards. This, however, led to chronic open wounds. The researchers concluded that fascia contains a specialized prefabricated kit of sentry fibroblasts, embedded within a movable sealant, that preassemble together all the cell types and matrix components needed to heal wounds. They are assuming that guided homing of fascia initiates the hallmark response to external and internal injuries.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

Scarring ensures survival
The new findings are important in context of ensuring survival: In mammals scarring injury induces a universal fibrotic tissue response that quickly patches wounds with scars – and thus prevents infection and bleeding to death. The hitherto tenet in wound repair was that scars form de novo by fibroblasts depositing extracellular matrix at sites of injury. With this study, the researchers could proof that scars originate from reservoirs of matrix jelly that are dragged into open wounds by sentry fibroblasts embedded in the fascia. These novel findings contradict current paradigms of how wounds repair.

New methods of scar less regenerative healing
The knowledge that fascia is the origin of scars and the finding of new mechanisms of wound repair provide a novel therapeutic space to curtail pathological fibrotic responses and induce scar less regenerative healing across a range of medical settings.

The findings of our research give fascia tissue a new role for future science. This will shift the attention of the scientific community to not only to look at fibroblasts in the dermis but also at native cells in the fascia when researching on wound healing,

fascia-cells-green-rising-into-dermal-open-wounds-dragging-their-surrounding-matrix-magenta-nature.jpg