The new study from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, published online in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS One, represents the first step toward the development of a cell-based treatment for people with hair loss. More than 40 million American men and 21 million women are affected by hair loss.

 

"We have developed a method using human pluripotent stem cells to create new cells capable of initiating human hair growth. The method is a marked improvement over current methods that rely on transplanting existing hair follicles from one part of the head to another," said Alexey Terskikh, associate professor in the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program at Sanford-Burnham.

The researchers will now attempt to transplant such cells into people.
 

"Our next step is to transplant human dermal papilla cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells back into human subjects," said Terskikh. "We are currently seeking partnerships to implement this final step."