This presentation will discuss the relevant properties of human adult epithelial stem cells for the regeneration of soft tissues. Discussion will focus on the biology of epithelial stem cells, their role in tissue regeneration and their identification and isolation from oral mucosa. We will use as an illustration (1) the fabrication of a human tissue engineered oral mucosa suitable for intraoral grafting, (2) show results from our Phase I clinical trial, and (3) present preliminary data on the manufacture of muco-cutaneous constructs that could be used to form human lips for facial reconstruction.