A new report claims that research scientists at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have used human stem cells to generate brand new hair growth. Although this is extremely exciting news, it is not yet time to celebrate as this only at primer stages and is far from being able to be released safely into the market. If this proves to be successful research, this might be the first stage of futur unlimited hair transplant supply.
This kind of cell therapy has yet to be tested and proven safe, but all at Hairmed are very excited to hear the news and we will be following this up closely. Congratulations to Dr. Terskikih and his team on this incredible breakthrough. [photo courtesy: Sanford-Burnham]
Here is the original article:
In a new study, Sanford-Burnham researchers have used human pluripotent stem cells to generate new hair. The study represents the first step toward the development of a cell-based treatment for people with hair loss. In the United States alone, more than 40 million men and 21 million women are affected by hair loss. The research was published online in PLOS ONE. “We have developed a method using human pluripotent stem cells to create new cells capable of initiating human hair growth. The method is a marked improvement over current methods that rely on transplanting existing hair follicles from one part of the head to another,” said Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., associate professor in the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program. “Our stem cell method provides an unlimited source of cells from the patient for transplantation and isn’t limited by the availability of existing hair follicles.” The research team developed a protocol that coaxed human pluripotent stem cells to become dermal papilla cells. They are a unique population of cells that regulate hair-follicle formation and growth cycle. Human dermal papilla cells on their own are not suitable for hair transplants because they cannot be obtained in necessary amounts and rapidly lose their ability to induce hair-follicle formation in culture. “In adults, dermal papilla cells cannot be readily amplified outside of the body and they quickly lose their hair-inducing properties,” said Terskikh. “We developed a protocol to drive human pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into dermal papilla cells and confirmed their ability to induce hair growth when transplanted into mice.” “Our next step is to transplant human dermal papilla cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells back into human subjects,” said Terskikh. “We are currently seeking partnerships to implement this final step.” – See more at: http://beaker.sanfordburnham.org/2015/01/using-stem-cells-to-grow-new-hair/#sthash.QPZBc0yP.dpuf