Tsuji-lab (Team Tokyo)

[UK Boy]

Why is there such a variance in Team Tokyo's estimated timeline? In the email he says 10 - 2010 years but in the attachment he says they hope to start clinical trials in 3 - 5 years and have a commercial product WITHIN 10 years. I know that they don't want to over promise and under 10 years would be a 'best possible' but it's just such a big difference. If it'd be here by like 2020 I could cope with that but 2032!?

[Vox]

I know that they don't want to over promise and under 10 years would be a 'best possible' but it's just such a big difference.

I would say that it is too early to provide any time frame. They first need to make sure that this technique is safe on humans. This is top priority. No one knows how long this may take.

Now, judging from the results we saw in the experiments, the procedure seems to be of high yield. So, if it is safe, it must be easy to optimize it for the human skin.

[hellouser]

So today the European Union banned animal testing. Here's a link:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-210_en.htm

This particularly interesting and relevant because Dr. Roland Lauster is working on brining forward skin and hair for use in labs instead of on animals which, as far as i know, is also supposed to lead the way to hair follicle creation for humans.

Given that animal testing is now banned, how does this affect Dr. Lauster's work? Does he have something for cosmetics brands to use for testing?

[Vox]

Given that animal testing is now banned, how does this affect Dr. Lauster's work?

From what I remember this new EU directive was the motivation for Lauster's work. The goal was to create synthetic tissue because animal testing was coming to an end. At least this is what he said in his paper (I don't have the paper link right now, sorry).

A cure for AGA would come from this kind of research as an added bonus. I am sure he understands the potential, but trials on humans for that purpose is another story.

[hellouser]

From what I remember this new EU directive was the motivation for Lauster's work. The goal was to create synthetic tissue because animal testing was coming to an end. At least this is what he said in his paper (I don't have the paper link right now, sorry).

A cure for AGA would come from this kind of research as an added bonus. I am sure he understands the potential, but trials on humans for that purpose is another story.

Well 2+ years ago he said preparations for clinical trials on humans were already underway. Is it at all possible he's been doing clinical trials without the public knowing? I swear to god, I'm so f*cking angry about going bald... I really want someone to just take my money and cure me.

[clandestine]

Here's a great summary of what they achieved (thx Iron_Man for the find btw)

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/339978/description/Engineering_better_hair_transplants

Here's the key finding:

"28 bioengineered follicle germs were transplanted to a 1 centimeter- (0.39 inch-) circular patch of skin. This was meant to recreate what’s considered a normal hair density — about 120 hair shafts per square centimeter (0.15 square inch) or 60-100 hair shafts per square centimeter.

Within three weeks, the hair follicles implanted with the cells had grown hair in about 70 percent of the tested mice."

This is MIND BLOWING

I don't find this particularly mind blowing.. Studies have shown effective in growing hair on mice for years; this in no way correlates to how such procedures might react on humans. This has been shown before. Don't mean to be negative, but I thought it important to point out.

[Desmond84]

Hey guys, I think everyone should watch this TED talk. Especially those that are losing hope or think there is no cure coming. Enjoy my friends...we're alive at a great time. Keep on fighting the good fight!

http://www.ted.com/talks/ian_goldin_navigating_our_global_future.html

[Desmond84]

Breaking news guys Tsuji Lab just got further boost by this recent discovery!

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130404/Scientists-develop-a-new-way-to-generate-induced-pluripotent-stem-cell-lines-from-human-fibroblasts.aspx

"Back in 2006 a breakthrough method was developed by 2012 Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, that "reprogrammed" adult cells to an embryonic-like state, commonly through viral infection.

Reprogramming is a dynamic process, resulting in a mixture of:
- Fully reprogrammed iPS cells,
- Partially reprogrammed cells, and
- Residual adult cells.

Previous protocols to select promising fully reprogrammed cells rely primarily on judging stem cell colonies by eye through a microscope. This posed a major concern for clinical applications of cell therapies as it could include partially reprogrammed cells, which could become any other cell type in a patient following transplantation!

The NYSCF scientists developed a quantitative protocol, optimized over three and a half years, in order to consistently harvest early-reprogrammed cells using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).

This process of selecting stem cell colonies provides the basis for a fully automated, robotic platform to generate cell lines in parallel."

We are one step closer to full hair follicle multiplication

To 2020!

[Desmond84]

BTW for those that are not too familiar with stem cells, here's a little info to help you understand the above article:

- We have a limited number of stem cells on the back of our scalps, supporting the hairs we currently have

- Tsuji lab produces hair seeds known as "hair germs" in the lab and injects it into your balding areas

- Hair germ is a combination of: Mesenchymal & Dermal stem cells

- True hair multiplication requires mass production of these two types of stem cell lines

- In 2006, we found a way to convert some cells that are fully developed (e.g. skin cells) into a stem cell! These stem cells are termed: induced Pluripotent stem cells (iPS)

- Now, this recent study has managed to break the record in producing the most amount of iPS that are fully reprogrammed and ready for transplantation!

- 2020 looks very promising indeed This report is only 11 months after Tsuji published their hair regenration study!

[Troy]

Hey Desmond,

Never had the chance to congratulate you for all your informative posts, positivity and research so...Thanks lol

I have been more focused on experimental hairloss treatments instead of possible future "cures"! Have to admit that Tsuji Lab's work is quit interesting and promising...

Anyway I'm not sure what their method consist of...Is it any close to Aderans/Replicel method? Like taking a "sample" of cells from the back of the head, select the ones you want multiply, grow them in appropriate medium, inject all over scalp and BOOM full head of hair?

(sorry for the ignorance!)

[Arashi]

While this of course is an interesting step forward (until now THE problem with IPS has been the risk of cancer), the major hurdle is of course inducing those stem cells to actually form follicles. This process in general is not very well understood yet by scientists (understanding the chemical reactions that induce a stem cell to form tissue).

[Arashi]

Anyway I'm not sure what their method consist of...Is it any close to Aderans/Replicel method? Like taking a "sample" of cells from the back of the head, select the ones you want multiply, grow them in appropriate medium, inject all over scalp and BOOM full head of hair?
(sorry for the ignorance!)

What Team Tokyo is doing is, if it works, going to be the first REAL cure for hairloss. What they're trying to do is basically to turn stem cells into fully working, hair producing, follicles. Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0418095011.htm

[moore]

Thank you so much for these info guys.
2020....looks like a lot of time.

[Arashi]

While this of course is an interesting step forward (until now THE problem with IPS has been the risk of cancer), the major hurdle is of course inducing those stem cells to actually form follicles. This process in general is not very well understood yet by scientists (understanding the chemical reactions that induce a stem cell to form tissue).

I think I've not expressed this correctly. The problem is to get stem cells to turn into those epithelial stem cells and dermal papilla cells. The researched already succeeded at creating HUMAN hair follicles from combining those 2 types of stem cells, so the problem here currently is to get general stem cells turn into those subtypes of stem cells. At least, that's what I think.

Am I correct here Desmond ?

[Arashi]

Desmond, help me out here, the more I read the more I'm getting confused

If I understand correctly, Team Tokyo ALREADY knows (and successfully demonstrated) how to make a hair follicle out of Mesenchymal & Dermal stem cells. These 2 types of stem cells are 'multipotent', instead of pluripotent (and thus restricted by lineage)

Researchers also already know how to make make pluripotent stem cells (and after today's finding that's even become better and easier). I know that currently the big hurdle in this field of research is that researchers don't know that much yet about the processes that induce a pluripotent stem cell to become a certain differentiated cell type. But obviously Team Tokyo already knows how to make differentiated hair follicle cells out of these MULTIpotent stem cells. So what's the problem here exactly that's holding this back ? Turning pluripotent stem cells into multipotent Mesenchymal & Dermal stem cells ?