Stem Cells in Hair Identified

Reprinted from UPI:

Scalp tissue might become stem cell source

PHILADELPHIA, July 12 (UPI) — U.S. researchers have isolated a new source of adult stem cells in scalp tissue that might be able to differentiate into several cell types.

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine scientists say if their research proves to be safe and effective in animal and human studies, it might eventually provide the tissue needed for treating such disorders and peripheral nerve disease, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury.

“We are very excited about this new source of adult stem cells that has the potential for a variety of applications,” said senior author Dr. Xiaowei Xu, an assistant professor of pathology. “A number of reports have pointed to the fact that adult stem cells may be more flexible in what they become than previously thought, so we decided to look in the hair follicle bulge, a niche for these cells.”

Xu and colleagues report their findings in the American Journal of Pathology.

Many people who are doing work with hair regeneration or cloning are working on the areas that contain these stem cells. In fact, many of the experiments that are successful in producing some hair, also produce other organ tissues like bone and muscle. But the real value of the hair for a health focus is the easy access to stem cells, that is, if we can really harvest them and get them to just replicate themselves. If hair stem cells can grow a heart or liver, or fix an injured spinal cord, or repair a brain in a stroke patient, that value will be far greater for society that just growing hair on a bald man. The value of this article shows that stem cells from hair has great promise for medicine and human health. It will be far easier for legislators to approve organ regeneration as an application for hair stem cells than for vanity purposes in cloning hair.