Plucked Human Hair Shafts and Biomolecular Medical Research

The document from 2013 discusses the potential of human hair follicles in medical research, emphasizing their complex nature and the noninvasive advantages they offer. It highlights the growing interest in using stem cells from hair follicle cells in regenerative medicine and the current applications of plucked hair follicles in diagnostics and clinical settings. These applications include their use as autologous epidermal equivalents, as well as in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. The document suggests that hair follicle shafts could serve as a surrogate molecular model for internal organs, offering a noninvasive diagnostic tool for a range of human diseases, which may become a practical approach in the future.