Method for the Production of Hair Follicles and de novo Papillae and Their Use for in vitro Tests and in vivo Implants

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This patent describes a novel method for producing new hair follicle structures (de novo papillae and hair follicles) using specific types of cells extracted from existing hair follicles. The process involves isolating dermal papilla fibroblasts and connective tissue sheath fibroblasts, and co-cultivating them under special non-adherent conditions to create spheroidal cell aggregates that mimic natural hair follicle components. These constructed papillae and hair follicles can then be used for laboratory testing or implanted into the skin to treat hair loss conditions.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Therapeutic treatment of hair loss, such as androgenetic alopecia, by implanting laboratory-grown hair follicles into the scalp.
• Development of advanced hair transplantation materials for use in cosmetic surgery and restoration procedures.
• Testing and screening of substances (e.g. new drugs or chemicals) for their effects on hair growth or toxicity using in vitro (lab-grown) hair follicle models.
• Creation of artificial skin equivalents containing hair follicles for regenerative medicine or wound healing applications.
• Development of research tools and kits for studying hair biology and follicle development in vitro.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Allows for the rapid and scalable production of hair follicle-like structures without needing large numbers of donor follicles.
• Enables personalized or autologous implants, reducing the risk of rejection and maximizing integration.
• Provides reliable laboratory models for drug testing and toxicity screening, decreasing reliance on animal testing.
• By forming follicles or papillae in vitro, overcomes supply limitations in traditional hair transplantation, especially for patients with advanced hair loss.
• The method can produce follicles from a variety of mammalian donors, including humans, enhancing versatility for clinical applications.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing de novo papillae, involving steps a) providing isolated dermal hair papilla fibroblasts (DPF) from at least one dermal papilla (DP) of at least one hair follicle, b) providing isolated connective tissue sheath fibroblasts (CTSF) from at least one hair follicle, and c) co-cultivating the DPF and the CTSF in substantially non-adherent cell culture conditions in order to form spheroidal cell aggregates.