Good News for People with Hair Loss... First Successful Hair Follicle Cultivation in Test Tube

Yokohama National University in Japan Creates Hair Follicle Organoids Using Stem Cells
Hair Grows 3mm in 23 Days... Hair Also Turns Black

Professor Junji Fukuda's research team at the Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Yokohama National University, Japan, succeeded in creating hair follicles from stem cells in vitro. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A Japanese research team has succeeded in creating hair follicles from stem cells in vitro. Hair follicles are skin organs that produce hair, and hair measuring 3 mm in length grew from the follicles created by the researchers within 23 days.

The research team led by Professor Junji Fukuda of the Institute of Industrial Science and Technology at Yokohama National University in Japan published a paper titled "Reprogramming of 3D Microenvironment for In Vitro Hair Follicle Induction" in the international journal Science Advances on the 22nd.

According to the research team, they succeeded in creating hair follicle organoids using two types of embryonic stem cells. Organoids are small 3D tissue clusters that have structures, cellular compositions, and functions similar to actual organs, also known as mini-organs.

When the research team cultured the hair follicle organoids, hair shafts inside grew up to 3 mm in length within 23 days. Hair shafts refer to the hair that emerges from the skin through the hair follicle. The process of the hair turning black was also observed, faithfully replicating the natural hair growth process in actual hair follicles.

Over the past several decades, scientists have attempted to replicate the mechanisms of hair follicle formation using animal models, but this is the first success in creating hair follicle organoids. The research team explained that the complete form of hair follicles was created by controlling the spacing between two interacting embryonic cells, the epidermal and mesenchymal cells.

The research team expects this hair follicle generation technology to contribute to the development of new treatments for hair loss diseases such as androgenic alopecia, which commonly affects both men and women. Professor Fukuda stated, "Hair follicle organoids allow us to elucidate how hair grows," adding, "As the research progresses, it will be possible to test hair-related treatments without animals or even realize regenerative medicine involving transplantation for hair loss patients."

This research result was published in the latest issue of Science Advances, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).