High Migratory Activity of Dermal Sheath Cup Cells and Clinical Efficacy in Autologous Therapy for Hair Loss

The study "High migratory activity of dermal sheath cup cells associated with the clinical efficacy of autologous cell-based therapy for pattern hair loss" investigates the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of dermal sheath cup (DSC) cells in cell-based therapy for pattern hair loss. The researchers conducted multivariate analysis to categorize individuals based on treatment response as responders and non-responders. They identified nine and three genes as high efficacy (HE) and low efficacy (LE) marker genes, respectively. The HE subpopulations were enriched for cell migration-related genes, while the LE subpopulation was enriched for basement membrane and vasculature-related genes. The study found that DSC cells expressing integrin subunit alpha 6 (ITGA6), an HE subpopulation gene, had markedly higher mobility than those expressing the LE subpopulation genes. The conclusion is that ITGA6-positive DSC cells, with superior migratory activity, may contribute to cell-based therapy by promoting cell migration into nearby hair follicles.