Cutaneous biology- skin and hair growth in mammals

Major research themes

• Functional genomics of hair growth
• Bioactive compounds to modulate hair and wool growth
• Management of chemotherapy-induced hair loss in cancer patients
• Regulation of the secretions of accessory glands in mammalian skin
• Stem cells in mammalian skin and hair follicles
• Wound healing in mammalian skin
• Alternatives to surgical Mulesing of Merino sheep

Research Programs

• Identification of biological defleecing agents

The Merino wool industry in Australia remains a major source of export earnings and a driver of many rural communities. Harvesting of wool is problematic on several fronts; a shortage of labour, high injury toll, stress and injury to sheep, high infrastructure costs. We are seeking an alternative that overcomes all of these problems. To be effective we need to identify a bioactive compound that is cheap, can be easily administered to sheep, allows easy removal by a machine and leaves the animal with sufficient wool covering to protect it from the elements. To identify such a compound we are examining factors controlling the naturally-occurring hair growth cycle.

Key contacts: Prof. Phil Hynd, Ms Natasha Edwards, Ms Nicole Heberle, Ms Kylie Chenoweth, Dr Annette Whitall

 

(gene expression responses to a hair bioactive agent)

• Therapeutic manipulation of fetal skin development

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the ultimate health of people and animals is set up by the environment in which the fetus develops in the uterus. We are examining the possibility that by well-directed treatments aimed at key developmental events in the fetus we can alter the lifetime functioning of various organs and tissue systems. We are concentrating on the the development of skin, but the principles and even some of the targeted pathways apply to many organs systems in the body (eg lungs, kidneys, cardiovascular system etc). We are identifying key gene networks involved in skin, hair follicles, sweat gland and sebaceous gland development using a genomics approach. Therapeutics targeted at specific components of the networks are being identified and tested using tissue culture, mouse and sheep models.

Key contacts: Dr Melanie McDowall, Prof. Phil Hynd, Ms Natasha Edwards, Dr Simon Bawden (SARDI), Ms Hayley McGrice, Ms Tamara Smith

• Chemotherapy-induced alopecia

Hair loss is one of the most obvious and psychologically-debilitating side effects of cancer treatment. In fact women rate hair loss above nausea and vomiting as the most traumatic aspect of cancer treatment. We are using a novel approach to this problem based on putting the hair follicle into a state of suspended animation during the period of chemotherapy treatment. This will hopefully protect the hair follicle from the adverse toxic effects of the drugs, and allow hair to continue to grow. Surprisingly sheep are th best model for these studies because their hair follicle are similar to human follicles in that they have a long growth phase and have a similar stem cell arrangement. We are using sheep to study chemotherapy protection and will hopefully identify new drugs to prevent hair loss.

Key contacts: Ms Hayley McGrice, Prof. Phil Hynd, Ms Natasha Edwards, Dr Gordon Howarth

• Identification and function of hair follicle stem cells

The hair follicle has recently been found to be a rich source of multipotent adult stem cells which have the potential to regenerate many tissue types such as fat, bone, and nerves. We are using a suite of stem cell markers to localise the stem cells to the hair follicle and to study the way they behave throughout the naturally-occurring hair growth cycle.

Key contacts: Prof. Phil Hynd, Ms Natasha Edwards

• Wound healing in skin

One of the problems with wound healing in burns victims is that the regenerating skin does not form hair follicles and the glands that are necessary for lubrication and temperature regulation. We are investigating the possibility of incorporating dermal cells or epidermal stem cells that trigger the formation of hair follicles and glands. We are also studying the role of organic compounds that deliver trace elements more efficiently to skin cells, with the object of enhancing their wound-healing abilities.

Key contacts: Prof. Phil Hynd, Dr Melanie McDowall, Ms Natasha Edwards

• Hair patterning in mammals

Hair growth is one of the distinguishing features of mammals allowing thermoregulation, camouflage, protection from environmental assault, sexual communication, secretion and excretion of metabolites, and neural perception (whiskers). Different regions of the body produce different hair types. We are interested in understanding what sets up these follicles to function so differently. By conducting experiments in which cells from different follicles types are transplanted to different regions of the body we hope to identify the mechanisms involved in hair patterning. This has application to protecting sheep from blowfly strike as well as male pattern baldness.

Key contacts: Prof. Phil Hynd, Ms Natasha Edwards, Dr Melanie McDowall

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