Scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys have created natural-looking hair that grows through the skin using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a major scientific achievement that could revolutionize the hair growth industry.
The findings were presented today at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and received a Merit Award. A newly formed company, Stemson Therapeutics, has licensed the technology.
More than 80 million men, women and children in the United States experience hair loss. Genetics, aging, childbirth, cancer treatment, burn injuries and medical disorders such as alopecia can cause the condition. Hair loss is often associated with emotional distress that can reduce quality of life and lead to anxiety and depression.
“Our new protocol described today overcomes key technological challenges that kept our discovery from real-world use,” says Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., an associate professor in Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Development, Aging and Regeneration Program and the co-founder and chief scientific officer of Stemson Therapeutics. “Now we have a robust, highly controlled method for generating natural-looking hair that grows through the skin using an unlimited source of human iPSC-derived dermal papilla cells. This is a critical breakthrough in the development of cell-based hair-loss therapies and the regenerative medicine field.”
Terskikh studies a type of cell called dermal papilla. Residing inside the hair follicle, these cells control hair growth, including hair thickness, length and growth cycle. In 2015, Terskikh successfully grew hair underneath mouse skin (subcutaneous) by creating dermal papilla derived from human pluripotent stem cells—a tantalizing but uncontrolled process that required further refinement.
The approach detailed in the ISSCR presentation, which was delivered by lead researcher Antonella Pinto, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Terskikh lab, features a 3D biodegradable scaffold made from the same material as dissolvable stitches. The scaffold controls the direction of hair growth and helps the stem cells integrate into the skin, a naturally tough barrier. The current protocol relies on mouse epithelial cells combined with human dermal papilla cells. The experiments were conducted in immunodeficient nude mice, which lack body hair.
The derivation of the epithelial part of a hair follicle from human iPSCs is currently underway in the Terskikh lab. Combined human iPSC-derived epithelial and dermal papilla cells will enable the generation of entirely human hair follicles, ready for allogenic transplantation in humans. Distinct from any other approaches to hair follicle regeneration, human iPSCs provide an unlimited supply of cells and can be derived from a simple blood draw.
“Hair loss profoundly affects many people’s lives. A significant part of my practice involves both men and women who are seeking solutions to their hair loss,” says Richard Chaffoo, M.D., F.A.C.S., a triple board-certified plastic surgeon who founded La Jolla Hair MD and is a medical adviser to Stemson Therapeutics. “I am eager to advance this groundbreaking technology, which could improve the lives of millions of people who struggle with hair loss.”
The technology was discovered and developed at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Further development and commercialization activities will be conducted by Stemson Therapeutics. For updates on the technology’s progress and advancement, please visit www.stemsontx.com.
Learn more: Functional hair follicles grown from stem cells
The Latest on: Induced pluripotent stem cells
[google_news title=”” keyword=”induced pluripotent stem cells” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Induced pluripotent stem cells
- Scientists link oocyte-specific histone H1FOO to better iPS cell generationon May 10, 2024 at 6:32 am
A joint research team led by Dr. Akira Kunitomi, a former postdoctoral fellow at CiRA (currently a researcher at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease), and ID Pharma Co., Ltd., has ...
- Fate Therapeutics Announces First Lupus Patient Treated in Phase 1 Autoimmunity Study of Off-the-shelf FT819 CAR T-cell Programon May 9, 2024 at 5:30 am
Pre-treatment Sample of Patient’s Blood Showed Rapid and Potent Depletion of CD19+ B Cells in Ex Vivo Cytotoxicity Assay with FT819 Translational Data from FT819 Phase 1 B Cell Malignancies Study ...
- Breakthrough by Shanghai doctors uses stem cells to cure diabetes – China Dailyon May 9, 2024 at 4:21 am
Doctors in Shanghai have, for the first time in the world, cured a patient's diabetes through the transplantation of pancreatic cells derived from stem - Kenya breaking news | Kenya news today | ...
- Designing a novel substrate for myogenic differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cellson May 7, 2024 at 7:04 am
Since their discovery, researchers have repeatedly demonstrated the potential medical applications of differentiated cells and tissues generated from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. However, a ...
- Pluripotent stem cells articles from across Nature Portfolioon May 6, 2024 at 4:59 pm
but not extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta. Embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells are pluripotent stem cells.
- Stem Cells Newson April 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm
and pain-free method to generate canine-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). They identified six reprogramming genes that can boost canine ... Dec. 19, 2023 — A microbial sensor that helps ...
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Market Size Projected to Surge $5.2 Billion Growth by 2033, Exhibit a CAGR of 9.6%on April 24, 2024 at 1:00 am
Newark, April 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the USD 2.1 billion induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) market will reach USD 5.2 billion by 2033. The cells known as ...
- Advances in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Researchon April 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are capable of differentiating into all somatic cells of the body, whilst being infinitely expandable in culture. These characteristics make iPSCs not only ...
- Woolly mammoth de-extinction inches closer after elephant stem cell breakthroughon March 6, 2024 at 1:53 pm
Scientists have made a stem cell breakthrough in elephants, which could mean researchers are one step closer to bringing back long-extinct woolly mammoths, the de-extinction company Colossal ...
- Turning Somatic Cells into Pluripotent Stem Cellson December 5, 2021 at 3:43 pm
How are induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells different from embryonic stem (ES) cells? What can we use iPS cells for? ES cells were originally derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) or epiblast of ...
via Bing News