Expansion of Hair Follicle Stem Cells Sticking to Isolated Sebaceous Glands to Generate In Vivo Epidermal Structures

The study developed a novel method to efficiently isolate and expand hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) from small skin biopsies by capturing sebaceous glands (SGs) and their adjacent HFSCs. These cells, expressing key stem cell markers, were capable of reconstituting new epidermis, hair follicles, and SGs in vivo. Tested on rat tail skin and validated in nude mice, this technique provided a high-output method for obtaining HFSCs without needing large skin samples or intact hair follicles, enhancing their potential for clinical applications in wound repair and skin tissue engineering.