Project 10: Molecular characterisation of human epidermal stem cells and transient amplifying cells in homeostasis and wound healing

The objective of this project is to fully characterise the involvement of stem cells (holoclone-forming cells) and transient amplifying cells (meroclone and paraclone-forming cells) during homeostasis and wound healing, both in vivo and in vitro. Through clonal analysis, we will study the division dynamic of holoclones, meroclones and paraclones, with a particular focus on biological pathways controlling their activity during regeneration. Moreover, we will identify holoclones’ key molecular pathways that can be used in the clinic in order to allow the identification and – eventually – the selection of a pure population of stem cells for gene correction.

We expect to reveal how keratinocyte stem cells maintain their self-renewal and clonogenic potential during an entire lifespan, and which pathways induce their activation during wound healing. Moreover, we expect to identify a useful marker for identifying keratinocyte stem cells in culture for gene and cell therapy applications.