Japanese scientists have identified stem cells vital for hair regeneration, aiming to launch clinical research to apply these cells to male baldness therapy.
According to an article published online in the British journal Scientific Reports, Takashi Tsuji, a team leader of the government-affiliated Riken research institute, and colleagues established in vitro culture systems and found by functional analysis that CD34 antibody-positive stem cells and integrin alpha 6 and beta 5, both adhesive proteins, play significant roles in the continuous regeneration of hair along with a glycoprotein called tenascin.
“Loss of hair or teeth is not life-threatening, but it negatively affects the quality of life,” Tsuji said. “I hope to begin clinical trials soon.”
The start of Organ Technologies Inc. biotechnology led the preparatory work for the launch of the study with partners until work was suspended last autumn, mainly due to the recurrence of the coronavirus pandemic.
Riken is now soliciting donations and looking for partner companies to make regenerative medicines for those who have lost their hair and teeth.
In the clinical research planned to cure male baldness, Tsuji’s team intends to grow hair follicles taken from those with the disease using a method he developed in 2007 and then implant the cultured cells back into the head.
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