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Incorporated in Hong Kong in October 2006, ActiStem Ltd. has developed ActiStem™ - a topically applied serum that can activate the Stem Cells present in one's scalp to promote hair growth and thickness, and change the colour of the hair from grey back to its original darker colour.
The serum contains TB4-7™ Peptide - a synthetic peptide analogue of the active region of Thymosin β4 - and is massaged into the scalp for a few minutes once daily before going to bed.
TB4-7 was developed from stem cell research and was shown to be one of the active moieties secreted by adipose-derived stem cells which helped stimulate hair growth. This phenomenon was observed in clinical trial patients who were administered their own stem cells for medical reasons. Unlike the full molecule, TB4-7 has shown much stronger stability in formulas and potency than the generic TB4 molecule.
Thymosin is a protein, the pre-dominant form of which is Thymosin β4 - a 4.9- kDa polypeptide, 43 amino acids in length - originally isolated in 1981 from the thymus gland. Thymosin β4 (or TB4) is a member of a ubiquitous family of 16 related molecules with a high conservation of sequence and localization in most tissues and circulating cells, with circulating levels in the serum reducing with age.
It acts by binding to actin at a cellular level and sequestering it which is a critical step in mediating stem cell migration and differentiation.
The hair follicle has been found to contain multipotent stem cells at its junction with the arrector pili muscle called the 'bulge' region. These 'bulge' region multipotent stem cells are called upon in the resting (telogen) phase of the hair follicle growth cycle to renew the hair follicle which had previously undergone programmed cell death in the earlier catagen phase of the cycle. Stem cells from the bulge region divide asymmetrically to form both hair and skin cells as well as more stem cells; and the activation of these multipotent stem cells to migrate and differentiate into hair and skin cells is mediated by a 7-amino acid peptide motif which forms the active site of TB4.
The patented synthetic peptide analogue of this active site is relatively small and can therefore diffuse easily through the skin when applied topically as a serum to the scalp and hair. Many male and female users have also tested the serum to activate the stem cells in their facial skin. This seems to clear the skin, making it look younger and leaving an attractive glow.
ActiStem™ contains 10mg of TB4-7™ Peptide per 50g of serum. One bottle costs US$89. Customer feedback is welcomed.
References
Philp D, St-Surin S, Cha HJ, Moon HS, Kleinman HK, Elkin M. Thymosin beta 4 induces hair growth via stem cell migration and differentiation. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Sep;1112:95-103.
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