Hair Follicle-Derived Epithelial Sheet Has Potential in Vitiligo Treatment

    March 2026 in “ medRxiv ”
    Jian Li, Jing Chen, Lichen Ling, Zheng Lin Tan, Ting Sun, Jinran Lin, Shujun Chen, Taro Uyama, Q. Zhang, Q. Liu, Fuyue Wu, Wenyu Wu
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    Studysummary This study demonstrates that a novel autologous hair follicle-derived epithelial sheet can effectively repigment skin in patients with stable vitiligo, offering a potential new treatment option.
    Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer
    The study explores the use of hair follicle-derived epithelial sheets (HFES) as a novel treatment for vitiligo, addressing the limitations of autologous cultured epithelial grafts (ACEG) which can cause scarring. By optimizing culture conditions, researchers maintained undifferentiated hair follicle cells and directed them to form a multi-layered, epidermis-like sheet. The HFES showed promising results in terms of cell identity, viability, purity, genomic stability, and safety. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that basal keratinocytes were predominant, and transcriptomic analysis revealed increased melanocyte proliferation and melanosome maturation. Transplantation of HFES in patients with stable vitiligo led to successful skin repigmentation, offering a new therapeutic option for vitiligo management.
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