With the advancement of medicine, stem cells have been standing out as a new resource in the fight against certain diseases. The ability to produce new tissues from these cells has brought perspectives on their therapeutic use. Currently, it is already possible to obtain blood, cardiac, muscle, and other tissue cells from stem cells.
With the increasing demand for health treatments and hair aesthetics, research involving stem cells from the hair follicle has begun to emerge.
Research related to obtaining hair follicles from stem cells has been a significant challenge, since new follicles do not form after birth. The recycling of tissue is done by niches of adult stem cells that regenerate hair follicles with each hair growth cycle. This regeneration occurs mainly through the interaction between the stem cells present in the follicle's bulge and the mesenchymal cells adjacent to the dermal papilla.
With the identification of markers of the bulge cells of the follicle (CD34), it is possible to isolate these cell types for the production of new hair follicles. The bioengineering of these cell types begins with the dissociation of the follicle. The separated cells are placed in an appropriate culture medium to multiply.
After proliferation in culture, they can be transplanted to the area of interest, such as a part of the head that lacks the ability to produce hair. However, this type of procedure is still experimental, as obtaining an ideal cell culture for transplantation requires obtaining the exact initial cell type of the culture, and we still do not know which specific cells could be transplanted for this purpose.
Although it is still in its early stages, the development of techniques for isolating and cultivating these types of stem cells makes it possible that in the near future, people with issues such as baldness may benefit from such treatment. Research that not only benefits the individual's aesthetics but also enhances health and self-esteem, which is so important for a happy and productive life.
References:
Stenn K, Parimoo S, Zheng Y, Barrows T, Boucher M and Washenik K. 2007. Bioengineering the Hair Follicle. Organogenesis 3:1, e1-e8.
Stenn K and Cotsarelis G. 2005. Bioengineering the hair follicle: fringe benefits of stem cell. Technology Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 16:1–5
