Organotypic Culture of Outer Root Sheath Cells from Human Hair Follicles Using a New Culture Device

The study described a new culture device called the Combi-ring-dish (CRD) for growing cells on biological substrata under organotypic conditions. This device allowed outer root sheath cells from human hair follicles to be cultured on native collagen lattices with living human fibroblasts, mimicking epidermal growth conditions. The cultures, after reaching confluence, were recombined with freeze-killed dermis and exposed to air, which significantly improved differentiation compared to control cultures on plastic substratum. The method successfully developed morphologic features of interfollicular epidermis, providing a suitable model for investigating the differentiation potential of human hair follicle cells.