Isolation and establishment of hair follicle dermal papilla cell cultures.

The isolation of hair follicle dermal papilla cells has become an important technique in the field of cutaneous stem cell biology. These cells can be used for a number of biological and translational purposes. They are studied to identify the cellular characteristics and molecular factors that underpin the initiation, maintenance, and modulation of hair growth; to develop new human hair replacement techniques; and as a source of cells capable of being directed down a variety of different lineages. Here, we describe the isolation of hair follicle dermal papilla cells from both human and murine sources via the microdissection techniques used in our lab.