Scientists have succeeded in creating hair follicles in in vitro experiments. Eventually, this could make it possible to manufacture a treatment for hair loss.
- According to the IFOP, 13% of adults claim to suffer from baldness.
- It affects one in four men, compared to only 2% of women.
Hair loss is often difficult to accept. Japanese researchers may have found a lasting solution to avoid it. In the specialist journal Science Advancesthey publish the results of a laboratory test: in vitrothey managed to make hair follicles, the pockets in which body hair forms.
Organoids to better understand the functioning of hair follicles
“Over the past decades, scientists have explored crucial mechanisms related to hair follicle development using animal models.“, they explain in a communicated. But the understanding of this operation was still incomplete and until now scientists had not succeeded in reproducing this mechanism in the laboratory. This team from Yokohama National University used a recently popularized technique: organoid culture. It consists of making tiny and simplified versions of an organ to better observe its functioning. “Organoids are a promising tool to elucidate the mechanisms of hair follicle morphogenesis in vitro“, develops Tatsuto Kageyama, assistant professor at the faculty of engineering of the National University of Yokohama. Morphogenesis refers to the organization of an organism into tissues and organs.
Successful production of hair follicles in vitro
The research team made hair follicle organoids, then they developed a culture system, so that they would multiply. According to their findings, this technique is nearly 100% effective. “Hair follicle organoids produced fully mature hair follicles with long hairs (approximately 3 mm in length over 23 days in culture)”, they point out. This in vitro growth has enabled scientists to observe the different mechanisms involved in this process, but also to understand how hair pigmentation takes place.
Future trials to develop treatment for hair loss
Next, they added a drug that stimulated melanocytes, cells involved in hair pigmentation. This addition allowed researchers to significantly improve the hair pigmentation of hair fibers. They also performed hair follicle organoid transplants, which allowed a “effective regeneration of the hair follicle with repeated hair cycles”. With these discoveries, they hope to come up with effective treatments for hair loss. But they will have to carry out other tests first. “Our next step will be to use human-derived cells and test its application for drug development and for regenerative medicine.”says Junji Fukuda, professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Yokohama National University and co-author of the study.
