This study developed a method to measure whether skin stem cells can actually regenerate skin long-term—not just in a lab dish, but in living tissue. The researchers used this test to see how genetic changes affect a stem cell's real regenerative power, which matters because lab tests alone don't always predict what happens on actual skin.

Scientists tested epidermal stem cells using a 'competitive repopulation assay'—essentially a technique that measures which cells can sustain tissue growth and repair over time in living systems, rather than relying on short-term lab measurements.

Funding not disclosed in abstract