Cell-Free Therapy For Alopecia Via The Secretome Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Dermal Papilla Cells

May 2026 in “ Journal of Tissue Engineering ”

Hyesoo Hwangbo, Aoyang Pu, Wanyu Tan, Eunice Dotse, Huanhuan Sun, Xin Gan, Yun-Gwi Park, Yimin Lai, Soon-Jung Park, Inho Choi, In-Rok Oh, Kwan Ting Chow, Sung-Hwan Moon, Hae-Won Kim, Byung Cheol Park, Kiwon Ban

TLDR A new treatment using cell secretions can regrow hair better than minoxidil.

The study presents a novel cell-free therapy for alopecia using the secretome of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dermal papilla cells (hiPSC-DPCs). The conditioned medium (CM) from these cells was shown to significantly enhance hair regrowth and outperform minoxidil in promoting hair-shaft elongation and cell proliferation. The secretome is enriched with growth factors and metabolites that provide anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective benefits, and it effectively mitigates dihydrotestosterone-induced pathology by suppressing androgen receptor activity. These results suggest that hiPSC-DPC CM could serve as a promising regenerative and anti-androgenic treatment for alopecia.

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