Ex vivo human hair follicle models for testing cellular stress modulators
Advanced ex vivo human hair follicle models designed to test the effectiveness of cellular stress mitigating agents by inducing and measuring stress responses through transcriptomics and immunofluorescence techniques.
Overview
The University of Manchester's Purba lab has developed sophisticated ex vivo human hair follicle models that allow for the potent induction and analysis of cellular stress responses. This innovation targets pathways such as the integrated stress response, the unfolded protein response, and HSF1-mediated heat shock response. Utilizing pharmacological methods or recombinant proteins, these models provide a robust platform for evaluating potential stress-mitigating agents in human hair follicles.
Technical specifications
- Induction Mechanisms: Utilizes pharmacological agents or recombinant proteins to induce stress responses.
- Measurement Techniques: Employs transcriptomics, immunofluorescence, and in situ hybridization to quantify responses.
- Applications: Co-culture systems allow for testing of putative stress-mitigating agents, assessing their ability to attenuate cellular stress activation.
- Research Experience: The lab has extensive expertise in analyzing hair follicle epithelial stem cell populations and routinely studies vascular, endothelial, and inflammatory cell markers.
Technology readiness level
This technology is at TRL 4, indicating that it has been validated in a laboratory environment and is ready for further development and testing with potential commercial applications.
About University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a large, comprehensive public research university with a city‑centre campus anchored in a major innovation district. Purpose‑built graphene facilities provide industry access, prototyping and scale‑up support in collaboration with university engineers. The university’s integration with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust through the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre enables translational studies and access to significant clinical settings. Its location within the Oxford Road Corridor links campus to Manchester Science Park and Citylabs, placing partners near established lab infrastructure and hundreds of innovation‑led firms. Research is supported by competitive funding from UKRI councils, NIHR and major research charities; a dedicated technology transfer office, the University of Manchester Innovation Factory, manages IP, licensing and spinouts.
delivered to your inbox.