Japanese researchers have successfully grown hair on hairless mice by implanting follicles created from adult stem cells, they announced Wednesday, sparking new hopes of a cure for baldness.
Led by professor Takashi Tsuji from Tokyo University of Science, the team bioengineered hair follicles and transplanted them into the skin of hairless mice.
The creatures eventually grew hair, which continued regenerating in normal growth cycles after old hairs fell out.
When stem cells are grown into tissues or organs, they usually need to be extracted from embryos, but Tsuji and his researchers found hair follicles can be grown with adult stem cells, the study said.
“Our current study thus demonstrates the potential for not only hair regeneration therapy but also the realization of bioengineered organ replacement using adult somatic stem cells,” it said.
The combination of the new and existing technologies is expected to improve treatment for baldness, possibly allowing people to use their own cells for implants that will give them their hair back.
The study is published in the online science magazine Nature Communications.
from http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpps/health/japan-study-raises-hopes-of-cure-for-baldness-dpgonc-20120418-fc_19248117
