Disease-Dependent Accessibility of Hair Follicle Compartments Revealed by Tape-Strip Transcriptomics

    February 2026 in “ British Journal of Dermatology
    Carmen Mochón-Jiménez, I Rivera-Ruiz, Pedro J Gómez-Arias, Juan de Luque-Fernández, Jesús Gay-Mimbrera, J. Ruano
    TLDR Tape-strip RNA sequencing can better detect inflammation in hair follicles for alopecia areata.
    Tape-strip RNA sequencing, a noninvasive method for profiling inflammatory skin diseases, primarily captures surface-connected epithelial compartments of the human hair follicle, with deeper follicular programs still requiring biopsies. However, in the case of alopecia areata, this method uniquely expands follicular accessibility, allowing for a broader recovery of follicular inflammatory signatures.
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