Baldness cure breakthrough after scientists grow hair cells in laboratory

A BALDNESS cure is one step closer after scientists grew hair cells in a laboratory.

The mature follicles came from combining two types of stem cells before adding a natural pigment, melanin, to give colour.

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The technique involves creating skin organoids — tiny, simple versions of an organ which can do some of the same tasks — in a Petri dish.

Hair follicles themselves are organs.

The organoids produced fully mature follicles about 3mm long after 23 days of growth.

Dr Tatsuto Kageyama, of Yokohama National University in Japan, said the breakthrough could “prove valuable for better understanding regenerating hair follicles”.

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Hair loss affects about two in five men and can harm mental health and self esteem.

Male pattern baldness can begin between the ages of 20 and 25. About half of women over 65 also suffer.

Age-related baldness is caused by follicles’ increased sensitivity to hormones as people get older.

Maintaining a youthful appearance with a full head of hair has become a critical feature of the digital world.

Former tennis star Andre Agassi, 52, described losing his famously long locks as like losing “little pieces of my identity”.

The latest findings, published in the journal Science Advances, could lead to developing fresh treatments, the researchers hope.

They want to develop the technique by using human cells.

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The research could also have implications for animal testing and drug screening.

And the same principles could one day be used to grow replacement teeth or other major organs.