Tape-strip RNA-seq is increasingly used as a non-invasive approach for molecular profiling of inflammatory skin diseases, yet its anatomical reach within the human hair follicle remains unclear. By anchoring tape-strip transcriptomic data to a human hair follicle atlas, we show that tape strips primarily capture surface-connected epithelial compartments, while deeper follicular programs remain biopsy-dependent. Notably, alopecia areata uniquely expands follicular accessibility, enabling broader recovery of follicular inflammatory signatures.
Mochón-Jiménez et al. (Wed,) studied this question.