Whole Hair Follicle Culture

The document discussed the in vitro culture of whole hair follicles, highlighting that while embryonic hair follicles could initially sustain hair growth in isolated skin plugs, this ability decreased with time and the age of the embryo. By birth, no in vitro hair growth was observed. The successful culture of hair follicles required careful isolation to avoid damage, using methods like shearing and microdissection. The study emphasized that cultured hair follicles responded well to exogenous growth factors, suggesting that future research should focus on identifying mechanisms controlling hair growth and the hair growth cycle. The work was supported by Unilever Research and involved contributions from several researchers.