RIKEN and OrganTech researchers discover '3rd cell' for hair regrowth
Japanese researchers have found a new kind of cell, nicknamed the "third cell," that's key to hair regrowth.
This breakthrough could mean future treatments for baldness and thinning hair are closer than we thought.
The discovery comes from the RIKEN Institute and OrganTech, with findings published earlier this year.
ABM combo recreates mouse hair cycle
Called around-bulge mesenchyme (ABM) cells, these are found near hair follicles and help kickstart and maintain healthy hair cycles.
When scientists combined ABM cells with two other known cell types, they managed to recreate the full hair growth cycle in mice.
The team also noticed that as hair grows, follicles move deeper into the skin, a detail that might help design better therapies using lab-grown cells to repair or restart natural hair growth.