Transplant of own cells helps balding patients regenerate hair

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In the latest hope for people troubled by hair loss and thinning hair, researchers have successfully generated hair by transplanting patients’ own hair cells into their scalps.

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Ryoji Tsuboi, head of the Department of Dermatology at Tokyo Medical University Hospital, worked with Toho University and cosmetics giant Shiseido Co. to boost hair growth by transplanting cells that stimulate hair generation into the scalp.

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“The result of our study was very encouraging,” Tsuboi said. “We were able to show that the study could help develop a new treatment for hair loss.”

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The researchers collected skin tissues of 50 men and 15 women from the back of their heads and took out special cells inside a hair follicle from the tissues to culture and modify the cells.

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The scientists injected those cells into the scalp of the participants of the study and measured the extent of hair regeneration after one year.

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The researchers said they confirmed that the density and diameter of hair increased where the cells were transplanted, with the density rising by up to about 8 percent.

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Hair loss associated with aging is the most frequent occurrence and has a great impact on people’s quality of life.

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Many patients with hair loss linked to aging are treated with medicine in Japan. However, patients undergoing this treatment need to regularly take medicine and there are limited treatment options available for female patients.

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