Could stem cell research spell the end of baldness?

Conclusion The researchers have developed a method of growing human stem cells from human skin samples. They have developed a technique to induce them into becoming epithelial (skin) stem cells and demonstrated they can produce some of the cells found in skin such as hair follicles, keratin and epithelial cells. These techniques will be useful and encouraging to other researchers in this field who are looking into the regeneration of hair follicles and skin for humans. However, the research is in its early stages so we shouldn’t jump the gun and expect treatments based on it to arrive shortly. There may be significant technological and biological challenges in developing these techniques to the point where they would be useful in developing treatments. Currently the experiments have only been conducted in a laboratory setting using cell cultures, or transplanting cells on the back of mice for up to three weeks. There is a big gap between these types of experiment and a fully developed, safe and effective treatment for people (and it’s worth noting that a stem cell treatment for baldness would likely be expensive compared to other options available, at least initially). The researchers also point out that they were not able to do more lengthy studies because of ethical restrictions in animal experimentation. Therefore the study doesn't show whether the hair follicles would continue to regenerate over time, and the production of some of the proteins stopped after 25 d...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Medical practice Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news