PTD-DBM Update: Q&A With Dr. Kang-Yell Choi

Small Molecule Development Update (8/21/20)

Last July I shared an update on the development progress of the PTD-DBM therapy discovered by Dr. Kang-Yell Choi. In a short Q&A session, Dr. Choi told us that his team was still indeed pursuing the PTD-DBM therapy for hair regrowth and that he was more focused on developing small molecule drugs which mimicked the activity of the PTD-DBM peptide as this was a more cost effective solution.

Now, a year later we see one of the small molecule candidates that Dr. Choi was referring to surface in a published preclinical study. The study titled “KY19382, a novel activator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, promotes hair re-growth and hair follicle neogenesis” is still undergoing the peer-review process but can be downloaded from the aforementioned link. I previously shared this study in a recent Stemore article as one of the authors of the study is affiliated with Stemore and I found the study when researching that scientist. Dr. Choi clarified to me, though, that this molecule KY19382 is not affiliated with Stemore, the scientists just happen to all be professors at the same institution – Yonsei University in South Korea.

I can confirm that Dr. Choi has established a new company CK Biotechnology Inc. to commercialize the KY19382 molecule as a treatment for hair growth. You’ll notice the first two letters of the molecule are Dr. Choi’s initials “Kang-Yell.” At the moment there is not a definite timeline for human trials to begin, but the pipeline page of CK Biotech’s site hints that a trial could begin in the first half of 2021. The pipeline also shows that hair growth is the furthest developed program at CK, which is good news. I will follow this development and share news on a human trial when available.

Original Article

In late 2017, research from Yonsei University in Korea made headlines by announcing a drug candidate that could be used for hair regrowth and follicle neogenesis after wounding. After a long period of silence, many wondered if the project had been shelved. Today, I have an exclusive update from its lead researcher Dr. Kang-Yell Choi.

CXXC5 Protein & PTD-DBM

Since it’s been a while, let’s recap the original research from Yonsei University and Dr. Kang-Yell Choi. For starters, the team identified a protein called CXXC type zinc finger protein 5 (CXXC5) which negatively affects hair growth. CXXC5 inhibits hair growth by binding to an important central component of the Wnt signaling pathway, a protein known as “Dishevelled.” This binding of CXXC5 to Dishevelled essentially inhibits one of the most important cellular pathways involved in hair follicle development – the Wnt pathway.

To counteract this activity, Dr. Choi and his team developed a peptide called PTD-DBM which interferes with CXXC5’s binding to Dishevelled, and thus, keeps Wnt functioning intact to generate healthy follicles. The substance valproic acid (VPA) was also added to the mix in preclinical research and showed the ability to synergistically enhance regrowth with PTD-DBM.

One appealing factor of the PTD-DBM treatment is its involvement in the Wnt pathway, and according to the research team, it has the ability to not just slow down hair loss or speed up growth, but create whole new hair follicles. The Wnt pathway has long been associated with follicle neogenesis and there are multiple companies in the industry now experimenting with Wnt activating drugs for the purpose of generating hair follicles.

Q&A With Dr. Kang-Yell Choi

FT: Is there still continued research being done by your team for the CXXC5 protein in hair regrowth and wound-induced neogenesis?



KYC: Yes, we are still continuing the research related with CXXC5 protein, and cracking the detailed mechanism of CXXC5 in suppression of hair growth and wound healing.



We are developing the peptide PTD-DBM and small molecules to functionally mimic the peptide as drug candidates.

FT: Has there already been interest from a pharmaceutical partner to bring these treatments to market?

KYC: We have plans to co-develop or license out the candidates with a global pharmaceutical partner at around early or middle of next year when we will expect to finish the pre-clinical studies. Due to cost and effective usage, we are more interested in the small molecule candidates.

FT: When do you think we could potentially see a human clinical trial for PTD-DBM and hair regrowth?

KYC: We plan to perform the clinical studies after completion of the pre-clinical studies, early or mid-next year.

Original published study – Targeting of CXXC5 by a Competing Peptide Stimulates Hair Regrowth and Wound-Induced Hair Neogenesis

The resurgence of PTD-DBM as a drug candidate for hair regrowth is quite timely as the industry landscape has become a bit uncertain lately. Some therapies appear to be tangled up in the clinical trial process and other recently reported results don’t show a clear picture efficacy just yet. The comment section continuously shows that people are looking for a winner to emerge. I will have more info on some new and upcoming therapies over the next weeks.

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