Posted on 17-3-2004
Hair stem cell find brings hope
of refurbishing bald patches
David Adam, science correspondent
A US research team has discovered stem cells that can regenerate
hair growth, raising the hope that new treatments for baldness
could be as little as five years away.
When the cells are transplanted into skin they spontaneously
grow into hair follicles which produce hair. The research was
conducted in mice, but the scientists say it takes us one step
closer to finding cures for hair loss in people.
"I think this or something like it will be available in
the next five to 10 years," said George Cotsarelis, a dermatologist
at the University of Pennsylvania school of medicine who led
the research.
The stem cells are found in existing hair follicles. "We
could isolate the cells from hairs remaining on the back of
your scalp, grow them in culture and then reconstitute new hair
follicles," Prof Cotsarelis said.
Although stem cells potentially capable of turning into numerous
types of tissue have already been isolated from human skin,
those believed to form hair follicles have proved more elusive.
No one has yet extracted hair follicle stem cells from the human
scalp: a vital stage if treatments using them are to follow.
"We've confirmed that similar genetic markers in the mouse
are in the same place in the human, so that's the first step,"
Prof Cotsarelis said.
His team used cell labelling techniques to isolate the mice
cells and prove they can develop into all the mature cell types
of the hair follicle. It then mixed the stem cells with others
taken from the surrounding skin and transplanted them into other
mice, triggering new follicle and hair growth.
The researchers report their findings today in the online version
of the journal Nature Biotechnology.
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