The study, “Mammalian Merkel Cells are Descended from the Epidermal Lineage“, was recently published in the online version of Developmental Biology and is slated its future print edition.

“Merkel cells,” discovered by Friedrich Sigmund Merkel in 1875, are found in multiple regions of the skin and make contact with specialized never fibers, participating in the perception of touch.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine assistant professor of pediatrics, neurosciences and otolaryngology, Stephen M. Maricich, M.D., Ph.D., and his team found » Read more: New Study Solves Mystery of Merkel Cell Origin