Efficient wound healing is critical for survival and fitness of all animals. Complex signaling networks within tissues respond to injury by activating repair mechanisms that promote diverse cellular behaviors, including proliferation, migration, and new lineage choices. A better understanding of normal injury responses is essential for the development of therapies for various skin-healing disorders, including chronic wounds, and for strategies aimed at the regeneration of a fully functional skin.
Written and edited by experts in the field, this book reviews our current understanding of the cellular, molecular, and biophysical mechanisms involved in skin wound healing, as well as the function and regulation of different skin cell types, including epithelial cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, neural cells, and endothelial cells. The book includes chapters examining the regulation of wound healing by growth factors, bioelectric signals, biomechanical signals, noncoding RNAs, and the microbiome. Also covered are chronic issues associated with wound healing and potential novel therapeutic approaches to address them. The volume is therefore an essential resource not only for cell and developmental biologists, but also for clinicians interested in understanding translational approaches to development of new therapies for skin wounds.