Maintaining hair follicle stem cell identity in a dish

Identifying and mimicking the signals that regulate stem cell self‐renewal, differentiation and maintenance in a petri dish is crucial to faithfully recapitulate stem cell behaviour in vitro . In this issue, Chacon‐Martinez et al (2017) describe novel culture conditions that allow the long‐term expansion and maintenance of functional murine hair follicle stem cells. This exciting discovery provides a faithful platform to study hair follicle stem cells in vitro and potentially perform drug screening for skin and hair follicle disorders.