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صفحه اصلی > کنگره شانزدهم > Scientific program > Epidermal-Dermal Interaction in Keloid Pathogenesis 

 

Epidermal-Dermal Interaction in Keloid Pathogenesis

TT  Phan

 

Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore

 

Keloid and other excessive scars are common morbidity in surgery and dermatology, especially in Asian population and other ethnic groups with dark skin feature. The biology of keloid scars is not fully understood and therapy of keloid scars is still unsatisfactory. The previous research on keloid pathology was much focused on dermal fibroblasts and other immune cells. The role of epidermis and overlaying epidermal keratinocytes were not fully appreciated. 

 

Our research group is among the first in the world to discover the importance of keloid keratinocytes and epidermis in keloid pathogenesis. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts interact together through multiple paracrine pathways. Keloid kearinocytes appears to have a number of oncogenes activated and up-regulate and over-produce pro-fibrotic cytokines that make underlying fibroblasts secretion of collagen at excessive level. In return, keloid fibroblasts also interact and make overlying keratinocytes over-proliferative leading to thickening keloid epidermis. The discovery of the role of keloid keratinocytes and epidermis will shed a new light to understanding of keloid pathogenesis leading to more successful prevention and therapy of keloid scars.