Japanese scientists announced that they have discovered a new horizon of research that promises to develop effective and unprecedented treatments for male and female hair loss problems, including alopecia areata (patchy) and premature baldness not caused by genetic causes.
In the context of their research paper, which was published in the journal Science Advances, scientists from a number of Japanese universities explained that they were able to discover the minute details that lead to the process of emergence and growth of hair follicles, and for the first time succeeded in culturing hair follicles in the laboratory.
The scientists’ research was based on the principle of organic in vitro cultures that mimic human hair follicles, which are biological micro-copies developed specifically for laboratory use.
The scientists believed that this pioneering research step would lead in the near future to the development of the first regenerative therapies that help to resume hair growth in the spots from which it recedes, especially the scalp.
Moreover, the results of this study will contribute to understanding the actual causes behind the disorders that lead to hair loss.
Commenting on the results of the study, Professor Junji Fukuda, who co-led the research study, said: “Our next step is that we will use human cells to apply culture experiments using regenerative drugs that we are currently developing,” noting that the success of these prospective experiments will open an unprecedented horizon in terms of development and treating hair loss problems for both sexes.