Restorative Effect of Hair Follicular Dermal Cells on Injured Human Hair Follicles in a Mouse Model.

Exp Dermatol. 2015 Jan 3. doi: 10.1111/exd.12625. [Epub ahead of print]
Restorative Effect of Hair Follicular Dermal Cells on Injured Human Hair Follicles in a Mouse Model.
Yamao M1, Inamatsu M, Okada T, Ogawa Y, Ishida Y, Tateno C, Yoshizato K.

No model is available for examining whether in vivo-damaged human hair follicles (hu-HFs) are rescued by transplanting cultured hu-HF dermal cells (dermal papilla and dermal sheath cells). Such a model might be valuable for examining whether in vivo-damaged hu-HFs such as miniaturized hu-HFs in androgenic alopecia are improvable by auto-transplanting hu-HF dermal cells. In this study, we first developed mice with humanized skin composed of hu-keratinocytes and hu-dermal fibroblasts. Then a "humanized scalp model mouse" was generated by transplanting hu-scalp HFs into the humanized skin. To demonstrate the usability of the model, the lower halves of the hu-HFs in the model were amputated in situ, and cultured hu-HF dermal cells were injected around the amputated area. The results demonstrated that the transplanted cells contributed to the restoration of the damaged HFs. This model could be used to explore clinically effective technologies for hair restoration therapy by autologous cell transplantation.

Isn't that what replicell and other hair-cloning companies are trying to do? Still years away.