Use of stem cells from hair follicles

Researchers led by a team at AntiCancer in San Diego, USA, have found that stem cells from hair follicles of mice can be used to rejoin severed nerves in mouse models. Easily accessible hair follicle stem cells, which normally function to form the hair follicle that in turn form the growing hair in all mammals including man, have been shown to have great potential to produce nerve cells and many other types of cells.

The hair follicle stem cells were used by the AntiCancer researchers to rejoin nerves in the legs of mice that were experimentally severed. After injection of the hair follicle stem cells, the nerves were rejoined and were able to regain function, enabling the mice to walk normally again. The hair follicle stem cells seem to have similar potential to embryonic stem cells for forming different types of cells that can be used for treatment of many types of diseases. This is a very important development, since hair follicle stem cells are readily accessible from anyone and can be grown and expanded in culture for therapeutic use. Hair follicle stem cells do not have the ethical problems associated with embryonic and fetal stem cells. These new developments are now published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.