More On Hair Stem Cells

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Researchers have been moving steadily towards stem cell based regenerative medicine for hair over the past few years. From EurekAlert we have more signs of progress: "In 2001, Barrandon was part of a French research team who reported in the scientific journal Cell that stem cells could be used to generate skin containing hair and sebaceous glands in mice. But at that time it was unclear whether the stem cells in hair follicles were true stem cells, capable of long-term renewal, or multipotent progenitor cells that would not permanently engraft in the follicle. ... Swiss researchers have answered that question, using rat whisker hair follicles to demonstrate that the clonogenic keratinocytes in hair follicles are true stem cells. ... With the progeny of a single stem cell, it would be theoretically possible to generate the complete hair bulb of a human being, and one that would last for years."

Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/epfd-hsc100505.php