LONGEVITY with Nathalie Niddam #383: Freeze Time—Literally: Bank Your Hair Follicles For Future Skin Renewal, Hair Regrowth, and Even Wound Healing With Drew Taylor
Oct 31, 2025
Dr. Drew Taylor, a regenerative medicine scientist and CEO of Acorn Biolabs, discusses his fascinating journey from professional baseball to pioneering cell banking. He reveals the benefits of harvesting hair follicle cells, which offer a robust source for future regenerative therapies. Drew explains the potential of secretome in wound healing and its role in hair regrowth. They explore the importance of timing for cell banking and innovations that make this process accessible for all, aiming to transform aesthetics and medicine alike.
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Hair Follicles As Ideal Cell Source
- Hair follicles are a uniquely rich, non-invasive source of adult stem cells and skin cells with two germ layers represented.
- Drew Taylor says follicles offer robustness, easy harvest, and preservation advantages over blood or bone marrow.
Cell Hierarchy And Therapeutic Targeting
- Cells sit on a hierarchy: differentiated cells at the base and pluripotent cells at the top with varying potential.
- Taylor explains therapies target stem/progenitor cells mid‑mountain to exploit flexibility without top‑level pluripotency risks.
Reprogramming Isn’t A Complete Reset
- Reprogramming to iPSCs grants potential but does not fully erase cellular aging or telomere damage.
- Taylor: reprogramming is powerful but not a complete reset of biological age.