Wounded T cells

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute think they may have uncovered a key reason why chronic wounds are so persistent: functionally impaired epidermal T cells.¹ But before these findings can be translated into a therapeutic, the mechanism underlying the impairment needs to be uncovered.

The Scripps group had previously found hints that certain epidermal T cell populations might be involved in wound healing. In 2002, Wendy Havran showed that mouse epidermal T cells regulate wound repair.² In 2005, her group reported that these cells also regulate skin homeostasis through production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1).³ Increased levels of IGF1 at a wound site are a hallmark of early-stage repair. However, the involvement of human epidermal T cell populations in the healing process was not known...