Chemically Induced Transformation of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Hair-Inducing Dermal Papilla-Like Cells

In 2019, researchers developed a method to convert human dermal fibroblasts into cells similar to dermal papilla (DP) cells, which are essential for hair follicle formation. The study aimed to address the difficulty of obtaining a large number of hair-inducing DP cells, as these cells typically lose their ability to induce hair growth when cultured for extended periods. The method involved treating fibroblasts from fetal or adult foreskin with a chemical cocktail (FGF2, PDGF, and BIO) and a suspension culture technique. After 6 days of treatment followed by 24 hours in suspension culture, the fibroblasts transformed into DP-like cells, exhibiting a significant increase in DP gene expression. When these cells were implanted into nude mice using a patch assay, 65% of the mice with fetal DP-like cells and 70% with adult DP-like cells grew new hair follicles. This finding suggests a potential new avenue for creating hair-inducing cells for hair loss therapies.