Gray Hair
EXT Life Sciences, Inc., a biotechnology start-up company spun off from Wayne State University that develops proprietary, targeted antioxidant treatments to slow the aging process, announces the development of a treatment that stops hair from graying as it ages. EXT’s new treatment is the only targeted antioxidant of its kind. EXT is located in the WSU tech park known as TechTown, which brings the resources of Wayne State University to high-technology startup companies to spur economic growth.
EXT founder Stanley R. Terlecky, Ph.D., a pharmacology professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine and a leading authority on the enzyme catalase, says EXT’s discovery and extensive research on targeted antioxidants present a platform for anti-aging products of the future, including shampoos to keep hair from turning gray and creams to keep skin smooth, by counteracting the natural oxidant damage that occurs with the aging process.
“The preservation of good health and youthful appearance well into old age is critical to the EXT mission. Given the dramatic growth of an aging global population, our research presents a transformative development for society while also introducing business opportunities for the cosmeceutical and medical fields,” said Dr. Terlecky.
EXT’s targeted catalase technology, called CatSKL(TM), reintroduces catalase into the peroxisome (a compartment) of aged cells to reestablish the balance of pro- and anti-oxidants and has already earned patent protection in several countries. Dr. Terlecky’s extensively published body of research validates the importance of maintaining the balance between catalase and the oxidants it neutralizes, not only in the follicles of graying hair, which is deemed the first visible sign of aging deterioration, but also in cells corrupted by diseases associated with the aging process such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
EXT’s announcement occurs as the scientific community deepens its research into aging issues. In a recently published scientific report, researchers at England’s University of Bradford discovered why hair turns gray as it ages. According to the study, hydrogen peroxide accumulates and “bleaches” hair due to the age-related absence of catalase. Specifically, amassed and highly destructive reactive oxygen species (ROS), often referred to as “free radicals” or “oxidants”, damage melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, because the responsible enzyme, tyrosinase, is inactivated by the high levels of hydrogen peroxide. Dr. Terlecky says EXT’S research takes the Bradford study further.
“EXT not only understands the process that turns hair gray but offers an antidote to prevent or reverse the gray. We are ahead of the game in terms of nearing the point where we can act on our research and take a product to market,” affirms Dr. Terlecky.
About TechTown
TechTown is an urban community of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and corporate partners creating an internationally influential village in Detroit. TechTown brings the resources of Wayne State University to high-technology startup companies so as to diversify and strengthen Michigan’s economy in high-growth emerging industries. For more information, visit www.techtownwsu.org.
About EXT Life Sciences, Inc.
EXT is a Michigan-based biotechnology company engaged in developing, manufacturing, and selling new classes of proprietary, targeted antioxidant biologicals to prevent, treat and cure diseases associated with aging in the global pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical markets. EXT, founded in 2004, was initially a joint venture with Wayne State University in Detroit and is now privately held, offering investment opportunities to sophisticated technology investors. Learn more at www.EXTlifesciences.com.
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