Hair Can Be Grown From Patient's Own Cells.

By plucking out a few hairs, researchers are growing skin grafts from patient's own cells. The technique, called EpiDex, have been developed by Modex Therapeutics, a swiss company. It could replace the painful removal of skin from other parts of the body for grafts or tissue culturing.
   The procedure involves taking adult stem cells, which are found in hair follicles, and then transforming them into skin cells. First, doctors remove between 20 to 100 individual hairs from any point on the patient's body, but mainly the scalp and send them to Modex. The company then grows the skin.

   The stem cells are laid out on trays placed above a layer of unrelated human cells provided by a single donor. They secrete factors that help cause the stem cells above to change into epidermal ones called keratinocytes.
   If the patient is not available immediately or requires a second application of EpiDex, the keratinocytes can be frozen until he or she is ready for it. The next step is to expose the cells to air. This will turn them into proper skin.
  Finally, the company sends back discs of skin about one centimetre wide and tenth of a millimetre thick. Doctors then apply them to half the damaged area on the patient's body, and grow to cover the entire wound in about three months.
  Early results of trials carried out on 80 patients in Germany and Switzerland show the technique works atleast as well as the traditional process of skin grafting.
  While EpiDex is being tested only on fairly small ulcers, Modex is exploring its potential for treating larger wounds.

Hair Can Be Grown From Patient's Own Cells.