May 2026 in “Biotechnology and Bioengineering” This review discusses recent breakthroughs in 3D bioprinting for hair regeneration, highlighting developments like biomimetic dermal papilla spheroids and follicle organoids, but notes that clinical application is hindered by challenges in integrating vascular and nerve systems and managing hair-cycle dynamics.
This study utilized 3D ultra-high frequency ultrasound to effectively detect different disease phases of alopecia areata by visualizing hair follicle structures and identifying unique pathological signs, offering a promising non-invasive diagnostic tool that surpasses conventional methods.
39 citations
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September 2019 in “Materials & Design” This study developed a new mask-free method using digital micromirror and microfluidic systems to create multicellular heterospheroids for drug screening, finding that heterospheroids exhibit higher drug resistance and combinatorial drugs are more effective than single drugs in cancer therapeutic applications.
This study found that encapsulating dermal papilla spheroids in alginate hydrogel with extracellular matrix proteins increased alkaline phosphatase activity, suggesting an enhanced manipulation of dermal papilla activity.
68 citations
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December 2011 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study reported that a three-dimensional hydrogel culture system supports the growth and maintenance of distinct dermal papilla cell types, crucial for skin reconstitution assays in neonatal mice.
January 2024 in “Biomaterials Research” This study introduced a novel 3D co-culture system that effectively mimics in vivo extracellular matrix dynamics, supporting hair follicle biology research and providing a robust platform for evaluating hair loss treatments through enhanced epithelial-mesenchymal interactions.
January 2026 in “SSRN Electronic Journal”
September 2019 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” In this study, the researchers observed that post-radiation hair follicle repair in 3D architecture occurs through independent, long-range cell movements along the basal surface, resembling 2D healing processes.
22 citations
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November 2024 in “Bioactive Materials” This study found that 3D-printed polyamine-modified hydrogels facilitate M2 macrophage polarization and exosome secretion, enhancing skin cell compatibility and promoting wound healing and hair follicle induction in an animal model through specific signaling pathways, suggesting potential for skin disorder therapies.
January 2026 in “Microsystems & Nanoengineering” This review discusses advancements in skin microphysiological systems, such as 3D bioprinting, skin organoids, and skin-on-a-chip, and their effectiveness in emulating human skin functions for research and preclinical applications, highlighting the potential for replacing animal testing with these innovative technologies.
30 citations
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August 2016 in “Skin research and technology” This study used 3D imaging to reveal age-related reductions in the volumes and connectivity of dermal papillae and rete ridges at the dermal-epidermal junction, which are not fully apparent in 2D examinations.
August 1994 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” 4 citations
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July 2023 in “Experimental Dermatology” This study found that incorporating human adipose subcutaneous tissue in 3D organotypic skin cultures mimicking hypertrophic scar conditions improved epidermal homeostasis, formed a basement membrane similar to native skin, and reduced myofibroblast presence, indicating an anti-fibrotic effect.
3 citations
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February 2021 in “Experimental dermatology” This study observed that using 3D dermal papilla microtissues enhances hair follicle regeneration and gene expression compared to 2D cultures, indicating their potential for hair growth drug screening.
11 citations
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January 2024 in “Regenerative Biomaterials” This research reported that a newly developed dually crosslinked gelatin-alginate-based hydrogel scaffold enhances mechanical strength, promotes corneal tissue regeneration, and reduces scarring in rabbit models, suggesting potential applications in corneal tissue engineering.
8 citations
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February 2019 in “Scientific Reports” This article describes the immunofluorescence tomography method to achieve high-resolution 3-D reconstruction of epithelial tissues and reports no clinical results.
July 2023 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study developed a 3D ovarian cancer model using microtumours, which effectively mimics minimal residual disease and supports the identification of new drug targets like perhexiline for treatment-resistant cells.
January 2019 in “CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MORPHOLOGY”
January 2024 in “Biomaterials Research” This study found that human hair follicle dermal papilla cells cultivated as 3D spheroids in hexanoyl glycol chitosan-coated dishes formed hair-like structures, with minoxidil enhancing growth, and successfully integrated into artificial skin models, suggesting advancements for hair loss treatments and skin restoration therapies.
This study developed a novel FRET-based 3D in vitro breast tumor model that can non-invasively evaluate drug-induced effects, showing its potential as an intermediary screening platform for cancer drugs.
June 2023 in “Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology” This review describes bioengineering strategies to mimic the natural cell microenvironment in vitro, emphasizing the novel approach of using cell-synthesized extracellular matrix as a scaffold for engineering functional 3D tissues, while highlighting the limitations of exogenous scaffolds in tissue engineering.
August 2016 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that dihydrotestosterone alters the balance of Wnt pathway regulators in dermal papilla cells, hindering hair follicle stem cell differentiation and contributing to hair follicle miniaturization.
2 citations
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June 2023 in “Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology” In this study, post-treatment with DCO was found to speed up epidermal wound healing after micro-needling of 3D skin models while maintaining the treatment's immunostimulatory benefits, potentially optimizing aftercare and reducing patient recovery time.
March 2026 in “ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces” This study described a novel three-dimensional-printed microneedle system designed for improved transdermal delivery of minoxidil to treat hair loss, demonstrating effective hair regrowth and safety in a mouse model while allowing sustainable needle base recovery.
1 citations
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October 2023 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study demonstrated that intraoperative bioprinting using a bioink with human adipose-derived extracellular matrix and stem cells achieved successful reconstruction of full-thickness craniomaxillofacial skin defects in rats, promoting wound closure, adipogenesis, and hair follicle-like structure formation within two weeks.
January 2026 in “Advanced Healthcare Materials” This study introduces a new multiaxial bioreactor system that uniformly stretches tissue-engineered skin grafts and improves skin tissue maturation through enhanced cellular distribution and environmental monitoring.
1 citations
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December 2023 in “Scientific reports” This study investigated the use of 3D cell culture technology to explore hair follicle regeneration, examining the impact of the 3D cellular environment on hair follicle morphogenesis and the effects of microwell depth on spheroid formation.
31 citations
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September 2016 in “PLoS ONE” The researchers reported that in hairless mice, epidermal cell division orientations and epidermal thickness varied by body site, with dorsal and ear epidermis primarily dividing parallel to the basement membrane, unlike hind paw and tail epidermis.
July 2026 in “Research Data Repository, Duke University” This study observed that DMAP scaffolds in a full-thickness wound model promote dermal appendage regeneration by activating humoral immunity, specifically through B cell activation and antibody production, even when adaptive immune cells' infiltration is restricted.
March 2005 in “International Journal of Cosmetic Science” This paper discusses the use of Digital Volumetric Imaging with fluorescent dyes to visualize and compare the interior structures of six different virgin hair types, reporting no new clinical results.