Diversity of fibroblasts opens up new approaches for wound healing and the treatment of chronic diseases

The review published in the journal Nature Cell Biology summarises a large number of human single-cell studies for the first time. Using modern single-cell technologies, the researchers were able to systematically record and functionally categorise the heterogeneity of human fibroblasts. In doing so, they have created an important basis for the development of targeted therapies in regenerative medicine. By targeting specific fibroblast subtypes, wound healing and tissue repair could be improved in future or pathological processes such as fibrosis or tumour formation could be specifically inhibited. Scientists from Leipzig University Medicine and the Helmholtz Centre in Munich played a leading role in the study. They are working together in the ZellTWund project, which is part of the SaxoCell cluster funded by the German government. The aim of the project is to develop new personalised cell and gene therapies. The researchers see the transfer of current findings into clinical applications as one of the key challenges for the coming years. Deciphering the complex fibroblast landscape in the human body offers a promising starting point for this.