UCLA researchers have discovered a new way to activate the stem cells in hair follicles that are responsible for hair growth.
Research led by three UCLA faculty members — Heather Christofk, an associate professor of biological chemistry; William Lowry, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology; and Michael Jung, a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry — led to the discovery of compounds that, in research in mice, enabled hair follicle stem cells to promote lactate production and, consequently, hair growth.
UCLA researchers have discovered a new way to activate the stem cells in the hair follicle to make hair grow. The research, led by scientists Heather Christofk and William Lowry, may lead to new drugs that could promote hair growth for people with baldness or alopecia, which is hair loss associated with such factors as hormonal imbalance, stress, aging or chemotherapy treatment.
The research was published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Hair follicle stem cells are long-lived cells in the hair follicle; they are present in the skin and produce hair throughout a person’s lifetime. They are “quiescent,” meaning they are normally inactive, but they quickly activate during a new hair cycle, which is when new hair growth occurs. The quiescence of hair follicle stem cells is regulated by many factors. In certain cases they fail to activate, which is what causes hair loss.
In this study, Christofk and Lowry, of Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, found that hair follicle stem cell metabolism is different from other cells of the skin. Cellular metabolism involves the breakdown of the nutrients needed for cells to divide, make energy and respond to their environment. The process of metabolism uses enzymes that alter these nutrients to produce “metabolites.” As hair follicle stem cells consume the nutrient glucose — a form of sugar — from the bloodstream, they process the glucose to eventually produce a metabolite called pyruvate. The cells then can either send pyruvate to their mitochondria — the part of the cell that creates energy — or can convert pyruvate into another metabolite called lactate.
Good news … $120 Million more for the UCLA spin-out company focused on hair loss treatments.
Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company, today announced the close of a $120 million Series B financing co-led by ARCH Venture Partners and GV (Google Ventures), with participation from existing investors including Main Street Advisors, Visionary Ventures, and YK Bioventures. The financing will support the continued advancement of Pelage’s lead program, PP405, a topical small molecule designed to reactivate dormant hair follicle stem cells, offering a potential first-in-class approach for both men and women experiencing hair loss.
Pelage’s therapy, code-named PP405, is meant to block a type of protein that shuttles a molecule called pyruvate into the mitochondria, where it’s used to generate energy. The resulting build up of pyruvate inside the cell then spurs more activity from “lactate dehydrogenase,” an enzyme that switches on hair follicle stem cells.
In June, Pelage reported positive results from a mid-stage clinical trial of 78 men and women with androgenetic alopecia. The trial enrolled people with a diverse range of skin tones and hair textures, who then had either Pelage’s gel or a sham treatment applied to their scalps once a day for four weeks. After that, researchers evaluated the participants for another two months.
