Advances in a Rapidly Emerging Field of Hair Follicle Stem Cell Research

March 2014 in “ PubMed ”

Zrinka Bukvić Mokoš, Elvira Lazić Mosler

hair follicle stem cells epidermal stem cells bioengineered hair follicular unit transplantation wound repair gene therapy epidermolysis bullosa keratin 15 CD34 CD200 bulge cells alopecia tissue engineering HFSC FUT

Studysummary This review describes recent advances in the study of epidermal stem cells and their importance in regenerative medicine and skin tissue engineering, but provides no 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 reviewed advances in hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) research, highlighting both basic and clinical progress. Basic science achievements included in vivo assays of epidermal stem cells, identification of interfollicular epidermal stem cells, and bioengineered hair follicular unit transplantation in mice. Clinically, stem cells were recognized for their role in wound repair and gene therapy for skin diseases like epidermolysis bullosa. The study of HFSCs accelerated with the identification of molecular markers such as keratin 15 and CD34 in mice, and CD200 in humans, facilitating the isolation and characterization of bulge cells. The paper provided an overview of epidermal stem cells in hair follicles, their characteristics, control of their fate, their role in alopecia, and their application in tissue engineering.

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