Future Horizons in Hair Restoration

August 2013 in “ Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America ”

Bryan E. Marshall, Chris Ingraham, Xunwei Wu, Ken Washenik

Studysummary This review discusses the history and challenges of hair follicle regeneration using follicular fragments and dissociated cells, without presenting new clinical results.

Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer

The document from August 2013 reviews the potential of cell-based therapies for hair restoration, with a focus on treating androgenetic alopecia. It discusses the limitations of current hair transplantation and medical treatments, which have drawbacks such as a limited number of donor follicles and side effects. The article highlights advances in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine that could lead to new hair loss treatments, such as expanding hair follicle cells in vitro and then re-implanting them. It mentions clinical trials by Aderans Research Institute and Replicel Life Sciences. The document also discusses the history and challenges of hair follicle regeneration, the role of epidermal cells, and the first successful creation of human hair from cultured dermal papilla cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are recognized for their potential in hair follicle formation, and the document stresses the importance of developing a clinically relevant model of the human scalp to advance these therapies.

View this study on linkinghub.elsevier.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Research cited in this study

17 / 17 results

research Fully Functional Hair Follicle Regeneration Through the Rearrangement of Stem Cells and Their Niches

179 citations , April 2012 in “Nature Communications”

This study demonstrates the potential of using bioengineered follicles from adult tissue-derived stem cells for fully functional hair regeneration, illustrating possible applications in organ replacement therapy.

Dermal β-Catenin Activity in Response to Epidermal Wnt Ligands Is Required for Fibroblast Proliferation and Hair Follicle Initiation

research Dermal β-Catenin Activity in Response to Epidermal Wnt Ligands Is Required for Fibroblast Proliferation and Hair Follicle Initiation

207 citations , March 2012 in “Development”

In this mouse study, researchers found that dermal Wnt signaling/β-catenin activity is essential for fibroblast proliferation and initiating hair follicle formation by interacting with epidermal Wnt ligands.

Sphere Formation Increases the Ability of Cultured Human Dermal Papilla Cells to Induce Hair Follicles from Mouse Epidermal Cells in a Reconstitution Assay

research Sphere Formation Increases the Ability of Cultured Human Dermal Papilla Cells to Induce Hair Follicles from Mouse Epidermal Cells in a Reconstitution Assay

75 citations , August 2011 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study found that cultured human dermal papilla cells formed into three-dimensional spheres have an increased ability to induce hair follicles from mouse epidermal cells compared to two-dimensional cultures.

research Human TSC2-Null Fibroblast-Like Cells Induce Hair Follicle Neogenesis and Hamartoma Morphogenesis

36 citations , March 2011 in “Nature Communications”

This study found that TSC2-null fibroblast cells from TSC skin hamartomas can induce hair follicle formation and hamartomatous changes in keratinocytes, with active mTOR signaling observable in a mouse xenograft model.

research Differentiation of Mouse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into a Multipotent Keratinocyte Lineage

101 citations , December 2010 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”

This study reports the successful differentiation of mouse induced pluripotent stem cells into keratinocytes that can regenerate skin and its structures in an in vivo environment.

research Microenvironmental Reprogramming of Thymic Epithelial Cells to Skin Multipotent Stem Cells

116 citations , August 2010 in “Nature”

Scientists turned rat thymus cells into stem cells that can help repair skin and hair.

research SKPs Derive from Hair Follicle Precursors and Exhibit Properties of Adult Dermal Stem Cells

330 citations , December 2009 in “Cell stem cell”

This study suggests that skin-derived precursors from Sox2(+) hair follicle dermal cells have the potential to function as dermal stem cells, supporting hair morphogenesis, dermal maintenance, and wound-healing.

research Male Pattern Baldness: Current Treatments, Future Prospects

40 citations , July 2008 in “Drug Discovery Today”

This review addresses the limited efficacy of current treatments for male pattern baldness and explains that emerging genetic insights could lead to more effective future therapies.

research Molecular Dissection of Mesenchymal–Epithelial Interactions in the Hair Follicle

417 citations , September 2005 in “PLoS biology”

This study developed molecular signatures for dermal papilla cells and their niche, uncovering novel signaling regulators and genes linked to hair disorders, which may inform future hair development research.

research Organogenesis From Dissociated Cells: Generation of Mature Cycling Hair Follicles From Skin-Derived Cells

205 citations , April 2005 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study describes a system for generating hair follicles from dissociated cells in mice, suggesting that successful development requires a foundational epithelial platform.

Cultured Peribulbar Dermal Sheath Cells Can Induce Hair Follicle Development and Contribute to the Dermal Sheath and Dermal Papilla

research Cultured Peribulbar Dermal Sheath Cells Can Induce Hair Follicle Development and Contribute to the Dermal Sheath and Dermal Papilla

208 citations , December 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study found that dermal papilla and peribulbar dermal sheath cup cells in mice can both induce hair follicle formation, suggesting they may have similar functional roles in hair growth.

research Molecular Biology of Hair Morphogenesis: Development and Cycling

155 citations , August 2003 in “Journal Of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular And Developmental Evolution”

This review discusses the conserved molecular mechanisms controlling hair follicle development and cycling and suggests they may also apply to other ectodermal derivatives, like teeth and feathers, but it reports no new results.

research Regeneration of a New Hair Follicle from the Upper Half of a Human Hair Follicle in a Nude Mouse

13 citations , October 2002 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study found that only one upper portion of a bisected human hair follicle successfully regenerated a complete new follicle with a pigmented hair in nude mice, although the overall success rate was very low.

research Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Hair Follicle Development

854 citations , February 2002 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”

This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of hair follicle formation and discusses potential future clinical applications for treating hair loss and skin tumors, but it reports no new clinical results.

research A Simple In Vivo System for Studying Epithelialization, Hair Follicle Formation, and Invasion Using Primary Epidermal Cells from Wild-Type and Transgenic Ornithine Decarboxylase-Overexpressing Mouse Skin

13 citations , December 2001 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study demonstrated that the tracheal xenotransplant procedure is an effective technique for assessing the invasiveness of epidermal keratinocytes and studying factors affecting hair follicle formation.

research Human Hair Follicle Regeneration Following Amputation and Grafting into the Nude Mouse

72 citations , December 1996 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study observed that human hair follicles were able to regenerate fiber-forming structures after the bulb was amputated and transplanted onto athymic mice, suggesting a general regenerative capacity.

research Induction of Follicle Formation and Hair Growth by Vibrissa Dermal Papillae Implanted into Rat Ear Wounds: Vibrissa-Type Fibres Are Specified

125 citations , August 1992 in “Development”

This study found that implanting isolated adult rat dermal papillae into ear cuts led to the emergence of unusually large vibrissa-type hair follicles, demonstrating their capacity to induce specific hair fiber characteristics.