Scientists Grow Hair on a Bald Mouse Using Implanted Stem Cells
Posted on April 24, 2012
Japanese researchers have successfully grown hair on the back of the head of a bald mouse. Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science used stem cells from hair follicles in normal mice and implanted them into the skin of bald mice. Hair grew from these implanted follicles in two to five days. These follicles would even regrow hair after scientists pulled out hair strands.
The researchers said in a release that their ioengineered follicles "developed the correct structures and formed proper connections with surrounding host tissues such as the epidermis, arrector pili muscle and nerve fibers."
Here is a video of a little mouse with a patch of regrown hair using the stem cell treatment:
Takashi Tsuji, the lead scientist on the team, told ABC News, "If there is still hair on the back of the head, then it's possible to use the cells from that, bio-engineer it, and regenerate new hair. We're moving our research forward [with that in mind]."
The study could lead to the use of follicular stem cells as a cure for human baldness. The research was published here in Nature Communications.