Japanese Researchers Say They Produced Hair Shafts In Lab
Japanese researchers say they have successfully produced hair shafts in the lab. They say it could lead to a cure for hair loss in people.
The group, including professor Fukuda Junji of Yokohama National University, published its findings in the US journal Science Advances.
They say they extracted two types of cell from the skin of a mouse embryo. They then used proteins to link them.
They say that after 10 days they could see hair shafts and follicles. The researchers transplanted shafts of about 5 millimeters in length into the skin of nude mice.
They say normal hair cycles began in about three weeks.
The scientists say this is the first time that hair shafts with follicles were produced in vitro with near 100-percent efficiency.
Professor Fukuda says it would be an epoch-making treatment if the method could be done with human cells. The shafts produced could be used in hair transplants for people.
He says the new method can also be used to study the mechanism by which hair turns gray.