Fabrication of a 3D Hair Follicle-Like Hydrogel by Soft Lithography

In 2013, researchers created a 3D hair follicle-like hydrogel using soft lithography to replicate human hair follicle architecture, aiming to overcome the donor hair follicle limitation in androgenetic alopecia treatments. They engineered poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) microwells with center islets and seeded them with dermal and epithelial cells, observing cell proliferation and survival over 14 days. The study tested microwells of different dimensions and PEGDA molecular weights for stability and mechanical properties, finding that 20% PEGDA hydrogels were the most stable and that PEGDA 3500 supported the highest cell viability. The hydrogel microstructures developed could be used for studying hair follicle biology and tissue engineering, with the potential for in vitro hair follicle regeneration. The study suggested that further improvements could be made by adding other factors to the PEGDA gels.