Bio-Engineered Hair Follicle
Autologous, co-cultured engineered follicle on a gradient-stiffness PLGA/PCL micro-scaffold embedded in crosslinked hyaluronan hydrogel with VEGF/PDGF-loaded sustained-release microspheres.
CD200⁺ / K15⁺ / K19⁺ epithelial stem cells isolated by FACS from autologous occipital donor follicles, expanded under defined KSFM conditions.
Dermal papilla cells expanded as 3D spheroids to preserve inductive signature (ALP⁺, versican⁺, corin⁺) and rescue hair-inductive capacity lost in 2D.
Layered co-culture aggregates eHFSCs with DP spheroids in a defined cocktail (CHIR99021, LDN-193189, FGF7) that recapitulates the Wnt↑/BMP↓/FGF↗ induction window.
Thiol-ene crosslinked methacrylated hyaluronic acid hydrogel with storage modulus G′ ≈ 1.2 kPa, controlled enzymatic degradation, and tunable RGD presentation.
3D-melt-printed PLGA 75:25 / PCL biphasic micro-scaffold with 50–150 µm interconnected pores and an apico-basal stiffness gradient mirroring the native follicular niche.
PLGA microspheres encapsulating VEGF-165, PDGF-BB, TGF-β3 and IL-10 with engineered burst + sustained release over 21 days.
Day 0–28 integration: implant → capillary sprouting (D3–7) → anastomosis (D10–14) → perfusion (D14–21) → follicular maturation and shaft eruption (D28+).
Autologous cellular fraction (low rejection risk) combined with ISO 10993 biocompatibility-qualified materials and an IL-10/TGF-β3 tolerogenic micro-niche.