Skin-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Isolation, Culture, and Characterization

The increasing interest about stem cell research is linked to the promise of developing such treatments for many life-threatening, debilitating diseases and for cell replacement therapies. Among the various human tissues, skin represents a source characterized by great accessibility and availability with noninvasive procedures and without risks of oncogenesis after their transplantation. In this aim, the identification of suitable protocols for the isolation, characterization, and long-term storage has a pivotal role.