Team:Technion Israel/Project/Overview
Project Overview
Abstract
Hair loss affects roughly 61 million people in the United States. More than 95% of hair thinning in men is attributed to male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia. The hair loss product market is a multi-billion dollar market: in the United States alone, this market’s annual revenue is 7 billion dollars, with 3.5% annual growth rate from 2007 to 2012, yet a sufficient solution has yet to be made available. The trigger for androgenetic alopecia is believed to be dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a derivative of testosterone. This summer, we are engineering Bacillus Subtilis, a model organism for a bacterium found naturally on the scalp, to secrete 3?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3-?-HSD). This enzyme reduces DHT to a non-steroidically active compound, using NADPH and NADH as cofactors.
Our project consists of 3 main parts: 3-?-HSD secretion by the bacterium, engineered bacterium for NADPH overproduction, and a comb as a tool to create a user-friendly experience. By synchronizing these parts, we hope to be able to show convincing evidence of DHT breakdown, providing a promising platform for treatment of male pattern baldness!
Problem
Hair loss affects roughly 40 million men and 21 million women in the United States. Approximately 25% of men begin balding by the age 30, and two-thirds begin balding by the age 60. Male pattern baldness (Androgenic alopecia) is the main cause of thinning hair in men - in more than 90% of the cases. This condition is characterized by hair receding from different areas of the scalp, beginning with the lateral sides of the forehead and the vertex1.
The male sex hormone, testosterone (which is produced largely in the testicles), is partially converted into a more potent derivative: dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The DHT is synthesized from the testosterone in several areas in the body: on the hair follicles, testes and adrenal glands2. The DHT is not only synthesized on the scalp, but is also transported to the scalp through the bloodstream. It causes the deterioration of the hair follicle through a hormonal cascade3.
Available solutions
The hair loss product market is a multi-billion dollar market: in the United States alone, this market’s annual revenue is $7 billion, with a 3.5% annual growth rate from 2007 to 2012 4.In China, the world’s second largest economy, sales of minoxidil (one of the two major products on the market), jumped 90% to $16.4 million from 2007 to 2012 5.
Two major non-surgical treatments are available today:
Our solution strategy
With the recent advances that established a strong relationship between the human microbiome and human health and disease, new frontiers in synthetic biology have begun to emerge concomitantly. Namely, rather than engineering a single bacterium chassis as is normally done in conventional synthetic biology applications, we have opted to devise an engineering strategy for a microbiome in order to address health-related problems.
A national research program of the human microbiome has been established in the United States - The Human Microbiome Project (HMP). The goal of the HMP is to demonstrate that there are opportunities to improve human health through monitoring and/or manipulation of the human microbiome 10. New and promising startups have been established based on the idea of the utilization and adaptation of the human microbiome to our needs. For example, AOBiome, LLC. created a dedicated line of products (named ‘Motherdirt’) - the first line of products for the skin made, which includes live bacteria incorporated into the product itself (Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria) 11. This product was publicized extensively in the media - In “The New York Times” and “Good Morning America”. In the past several years, several other big cosmetic companies have released products incorporating natural bacteria - “Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15” by Clinique and “Cosmeceuticals Unstress Total Serenity Serums” by Christina are few examples of this promising market 12.
1. "Hair Loss Statistics." Statistic Brain. Relevant Research, Inc. (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery), July 27th 2015. (accessed on: July 7th 2015).