Human skin substitutes available today have varied compositions but generally comprise a nonliving collagen matrix and different combinations of keratinocytes and fibroblasts. However, currently available skin substitutes cannot perform all the functions of normal skin. For example, hair follicle (HF) neogenesis is not observed using any currently available human skin substitute. Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences have developed a skin substitute that displays neogenesis of HFs and the formation associated sebaceous glands. These skin substitutes may be useful in the study of the effect that compounds or conditions might have on HF neogenesis.

Applications and Advantages

• The fully human skin substitute expresses fully developed hair follicles containing hair shafts in the correct anatomical location and sebaceous glands
• The skin substitute can be grafted
• Useful for the study of positive or negative effects that compounds, compositions or conditions might have on HF neogenesis

Innovation Description

During embryogenesis, mesenchymal cells signal the overlying epithelium to induce HF formation and in adults a specialized group of mesenchymal cells, the dermal papilla (DP) cells, have been shown to retain the capacity to induce HF regeneration. DP cells from rodents induce HFs in a variety of assays, but it has been difficult to grow human DP cells that maintain inductive capacity in culture. Recent technological advances have enabled the use of human cells to form chimeric HFs, however, the HFs produced by these methods are not fully human constructs, are not completely developed, contain hair shafts in the wrong anatomical location, do not exhibit long-term graft survival and normal HF cycling, and/or do not form HFs that contain sebaceous glands. Thus, the follicles produced by such methods are not useful for human HF neogenesis in skin lacking HFs. USUHS scientists have developed proprietary compositions wherein the fully human skin substitute is capable of inducing human hair follicles that are morphologically correct and useful in applications requiring HF formation/neogenesis. These skin substitutes provide an ideal platform for the study of compounds or conditions that may have a positive or negative effect on human HF neogenesis.

Inventors

• Rajesh Thangapazham, Ph.D.
• Thomas N. Darling, M.D., Ph.D.
• Shaowei Li, M.D., Ph.D.

Innovation Status

The skin substitutes have been successfully grown and grafted, showing fully developed hair follicles and sebaceous glands

Intellectual Property Status

Patents have been issued in the U.S. (10,478,526), Canada (2,802,880), (2,910,328); Europe (2582791 - validated in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands), (2991692 - validated in Germany, France, and United Kingdom), Australia (2011268139), (2014259787), (2018201536); and Japan (6071875), (6449220), (6469655).