Stem Cells Might Be a Possible Cure For Hair Loss

A collaboration between Russian and American researchers has led to the discovery of new stem cells that can produce human hair. The promising research might be the first step in developing a stem cell-based hair growth treatment that can permanently cure hair loss in men and women.

Presently, the majority of the hair loss treatments available involve transplanting individual hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding. The procedures are done taking the follicles from the donor part of the body where hair is abundant and transplant into the receiving area. However, most of these treatments are costly and sometimes comes with side effects such as scarring of the donor body part or catching an infection.

Instead, the new method which was introduced by researchers involves the re-growth of a type of cells that are critical for the development of healthy follicles, thus making it possible to grow new hair without the need to sacrifice tissue from another part of the body.

The anatomy of hair
follicle

The scientists discovered that by genetically modifying adult human skin cells they, were able to produce a type of stem cell called an epithelial stem cell which is one of the building blocks for functioning hair follicles. The epithelial cells are important to maintain healthy. When people lose hair, they lose both their epithelial cells and another type of hair cell known as a dermal papilla without which humans cannot completely regrow hair.

Human dermal papilla cells are a unique population of cells that regulate hair-follicle formation and growth cycle in the body. On their own, they cannot be used for hair transplants because they cannot be obtained in sufficient amounts besides, they rapidly lose their ability to induce hair-follicle formation when grown in a laboratory. However, when the dermal papilla cells created from human pluripotent stem cells were transplanted into hairless mice, they were able to induce hair growth. The cells even produced structurally recognizable hair strands.

Though it hasn't been experimented on a human yet, the cell method might provide an unlimited source of hair growth cells for patients suffering from baldness. The true effectiveness of the stem cell treatment will only be known in the following phase which is transplanting the dermal papilla cells derived from human pluripotent stem  into a human subject.