Humanized Mouse Model for Hair Follicle Studies

In 2019, researchers from the Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University established a model for studying human hair follicle growth using nude mice. They transplanted strips of full-thickness human adult scalp skin from hair-bearing areas onto the backs of these mice. Two weeks post-transplantation, the grafts were alive, intact, and slightly contracted. Two months later, histological examination showed that the grafts were well integrated into the mouse skin, with the epidermis of human origin. The human hair follicles survived and produced hair shafts, with normal anagen hair follicles observed. The researchers concluded that this model, which proved more efficient than the follicular unit grafting technique, could be used for preclinical human trials and in vivo hair morphogenesis research.