REJOICE: HF Regeneration by Transplantation of a Bioengineered Hair Follicle germ

[NeedHairASAP]

new paper from Takashi Tsuji, Center for Developmental Biology, RIKEN

these guys (https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/thread...by-2018-%21%21)

Abstract
Hair follicle morphogenesis is first induced by epithelial–mesenchymal interactions in the developing embryo. In the hair follicle, various stem-cell populations are maintained in specialized niches to promote repetitive hair follicle-morphogenesis, which is observed in the variable lower region of the hair follicle as a postnatal hair cycle. In contrast, the genesis of most organs is induced only once during embryogenesis. We developed a novel bioengineering technique, the Organ Germ Method, that employs three-dimensional stem cell culture for regenerating various organs and reproducing embryonic organogenesis. In this chapter, we describe a protocol for hair follicle germ reconstitution using adult follicle-derived epithelial stem cells and dermal papilla cells with intracutaneous transplantation of the bioengineered hair-follicle organ germ. This protocol can be useful not only for the clinical study of hair regeneration but also for studies of stem cell biology and organogenesis.

http://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007/978-1-4939-3786-8_9

[allTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

Ok, so, a vital step on the way to the definitive cure. Significant news. I'm not paying for access to that paper but these germs will have been implanted into mice. So... not THAT long before it's tried in humans.

[RU58841]

Here's the full paper for anyone who can interpret it: https://www.scribd.com/document/3190...-Takashi-Tsuji

[allTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

It's not that hard to interpret as far as I can tell. They've taken a slice of tissue from one normal hairy mouse, separated out some hair follicles, then separated the epithelial cells and dermal papilla cells from the follicles.

Here's a part I'm not too clear on, but I think they incubate these cells to get them to multiply:

"Incubate the bulge epithelial tissues in 0.05 % trypsin solution for 1 h at 37 °C."

"Isolate dermal papillae from early-mid anagen vibrissa follicles, explant onto a plastic culture dish (BD), and maintain the cells in DMEM10 supplemented with FGF-2 as primary cultures for 9 days, as described previously."

My confusion comes from them just incubating epithelial cells for 1 hour, which sounds like a very short time in which to gain a signficant number of new epithelial cells (but I'm not a biologist). But that must be what they're doing, seeing as I can't imagine why they'd wait 9 days if they weren't waiting for the dermal papilla cells to multiply.

Anyway, then they've placed a bunch of these two types of cell in the same test tube and centrifuged it to create what they've called a 'germ' or 'pellet' (ie. a clump of these two cells forms at the bottom of the test tube). Then they've taken a nude mouse and inserted these pellets in a shallow hole in the mouse's the skin, along with a little nylon thread that extends from the pellet to outside the surface of the skin. I believe this directs which way the hair shaft grows. Then they wait a while to let these two sets of cells interact with each other and with the surrounding skin, and eventually hair follicle structures assemble themselves. And after about three weeks they have hair shafts sprouting out of the surface of the skin.

So I think the points of this paper are:
- I think they are able to separate the two necessary types of cell from a follicle, then they can incubate and multiply these cells.
- Then all you have to do is put these two types of cell together under the skin, and a working hair follicle springs forth and produces hair.

BUT, it's just mice. No human cells involved at any stage. Still encouraging though.

[tonypizza]

Can you imagine walking around with a head of 10,000 nylon strings for two months?

[allTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

Can you imagine walking around with a head of 10,000 nylon strings for two months?

I suspect the follicles could be grown in the lab using a sheet of artificial skin, and then have them FUE'd into the patient's scalp.

[BoSox]

What a time to be alive.

[Arashi]

Tsuji still experimenting on mice ..

[joachim]

Tsuji still experimenting on mice ..

yes, such a shame. why can't they try it on humans already? i'd be glad to volunteer. the risk is soooo small. even if the culturing problem is not completely solved or optimized: why not try to grow one single fu**ing follicle on a human scalp to let the whole world know that the concept works. after that, they can full steam concentrate on optimizing/automazing the cell culturing.
what a relief it would be for the whole world if we could see a single de novo follicle grown on a human scalp finally. it's really a shame.

[allTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

yes, such a shame. why can't they try it on humans already? i'd be glad to volunteer. the risk is soooo small. even if the culturing problem is not completely solved or optimized: why not try to grow one single fu**ing follicle on a human scalp to let the whole world know that the concept works. after that, they can full steam concentrate on optimizing/automazing the cell culturing.
what a relief it would be for the whole world if we could see a single de novo follicle grown on a human scalp finally. it's really a shame.

They might well be preparing for something involving human cells now. This paper has only just been made public but the work done for it will have happened quite some time ago.

[matlondon]

Can you imagine walking around with a head of 10,000 nylon strings for two months?

2 months i would if nw1.

[Demeter]

Scientists don't have infinite resources. They only have so much money, time and access to facilities. If they rush into human trials unprepared, and make mistakes and fail as a result, then people will be unlikely to fund any further research. Conducting research on humans is MUCH more expensive than conducting trials in mice. No one is going to give them the money to trial a treatment in humans before they've managed to get it to work in mice. This is a necessary first step towards human trials.

Honestly some people here will find a reason to complain about anything. We have a groundbreaking research here by Dr Tsuji, the first working example of a treatment not just for alopecia, but that has even wider implications for organ regeneration and life extension, and all you have to say is "such a shame"? I'd hate to see how you receive actual bad news.