Regenerative medicine of the nervous system using hair follicle stem cells

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K17815
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 53050:Dermatology-related
• Research Institution: Kitasato University
• Principal Investigator: Obara Koya 北里大学, 医学部, 助教 (40596483)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 毛包幹細胞 / 脊髄損傷 / 再生医療 / 慢性期

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a highly debilitating and recalcitrant disease with limited treatment options. Although various stem cell types have shown some clinical efficacy for injury repair they have not for SCI. Hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells have been shown to differentiate into neurons, Schwan cells and many other type of cells In the present report, HAP stem cells from C57BL/6J mice were implanted into the severed thoracic spinal cord of C57BL/6J or athymic nude mice in the early chronic phase. After implantation, HAP stem cells differentiated to neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in the regenerated thoracic spinal cord of C57BL/6J and nude mice. Quantitative motor function analysis demonstrated a significant functional improvement in the HAP-stem-cell-implanted mice, compared to non-implanted mice. HAP stem cells therefore have greater clinical potential　for SCI repair.

Free Research Field

皮膚科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脊髄損傷は非可逆的疾患であり，治療として有効な薬物療法が認められないことも含め，現在幹細胞を用いた再生医療は国内外で多数検討されている。しかしES細胞やiPS細胞は多分化能、再生能は優れているものの、倫理面や腫瘍化の問題のため生体内移植の実用化は難しいのが現状である。また生体組織幹細胞移植は多くは患者個人からの採取リスクが高く、また、他者の提供者由来の幹細胞移植は、移植後の拒絶反応という大きな問題をかかえている。我々が提唱する毛包幹細胞による再生医療は倫理面や拒絶反応の問題がなく、他部位の成体組織幹細胞と比較して、患者への採取リスクが低いことから、早期の臨床応用が期待される。