Since starting this blog in 2013, I have always wondered why China is so under-represented in hair loss research and the development of new hair loss treatments. Especially in comparison to the US, South Korea and Japan. While Chinese hair loss research did improve significantly in the last few years, hair multiplication related developments remained elusive. But finally, this has all changed due to the entry of Yunce Medical (also known as Yunce Biotech).
Yunce Medical: Treating Androgenetic Alopecia with iPSC-derived Hair Follicle Cells
Reader “Theo” sent me two interesting links in the past week related to:
- An August 2024 speech by Yunce Medical’s founder and chairman Liu Shaoxian. It was titled:
“Progress in the Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hair Follicle Cells.”
Yunce Medical is developing this technology in partnership with West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The research team has successfully differentiated hair follicle cells from iPSCs and “verified the success in animal experiments”.
But the most interesting quote from the first speech (after translation) was:
“This research result is almost synchronized with the research progress of Stemson”.
He is of course referring to Stemson Therapeutics, the biggest US-based hope for a hair loss cure that alas folded in December 2024.
The above first speech was made at the “2024 Tianfu Bio-pharmaceutical Industry Development and Cooperation Conference” hosted by the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone Bio-Industry Federation. Per the article, Chengdu has emerged as a key center of the Chinese bio-pharmaceutical industry cluster. The second newer speech was made in Beijing at the 9th Immunogenetic and Cellular Therapy Conference (IGC 2025).
As if this was not enough, “Theo” sent me another link that is even more encouraging:
“Judging from the reported data, the company’s research progress is almost synchronized with that of STEMSON, or even better, representing China’s successful first step in the field of hair regeneration.”
In the article, they also gave the below before and after image:
Yunce Medical’s scientists obtained more than 90% of hair follicle stem cells with CD200 positive cells. This supposedly far exceeds the 30% results in known published literature. CD200 is a key marker for hair follicle stem cell activation, and CD200 positive hair follicle stem cells are the main cell type missing in the balding arras of scalps.
On Yunce Medical’s website, I like that they specify “human” induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) rather than just iPSCs. The company’s hair loss platform is called YCH001.
Clinical Trials
In an announcement in September 2024, Yunce Medical said they were about to start human clinical trials. They had already successfully cultivated hair follicle stem cells from induced pluripotent stem cells in animal experiments. Key quote from Liu Shiaoxian:
“We are the second company in the world and the first company in China to successfully induce iDP (iPSC-derived dermal papilla cells) and iHFSC (iPSC-derived hair follicle stem cells).”
The company also has a gene editing sector and various other regenerative medicine related technologies listed on its website.
Also of interest, in March 2025, Mr. Shaoxian gave yet another speech at the 3rd Bio-Innovative Drug Industry Conference in Suzhou. He mentioned the company’s focus on the research and development of hiPSC-derived cell drugs for the treatment of male pattern baldness, solid cancerous tumors and autoimmune diseases.
Note that there are numerous news articles from China that suggest that the rate of hair loss is increasing rapidly in both young males and females in the country. This technology will have tens of millions of takers in the world’s second most populous nation, assuming the price is reasonable.
China to lead the world in Gene Editing and Cell Therapy?
In spite of residing in the US, I am hoping that China surpasses the US in rapid biotech progress. Per a new article in the New York Post this week:
“China has embraced CRISPR gene editing, leapfrogged the West in cell therapy, developed sophisticated animal models and rapidly expanded its biotech exports from near-zero in 2016 to nearly 30% of new assets in the world today.”
One of the suggestions the author of this article gives to the US FDA is to speed up clinical trials in order to be able to compete with China and others in the biotech space.
Perhaps George Costanza was correct about looking towards China for a hair loss treatment after all?