2025 YIPS Symposium Visit Review: A Glimpse into the Future of Hair Loss Treatment

On June 27, I was invited to attend and give a presentation at the "2025 YIPS Symposium –Frontiers in Hair Loss Therapeutics" held at Yonsei University International Campus.

Although I have participated in many academic conferences over the years, being part of an event where the latest technologies from both academia and industry were actively exchanged left a particularly meaningful impression.

This symposium was co-hosted by the Yonsei University Engineering Research Institute and EpiBiotech, and it was a forum that dealt in depth with the latest research and technology trends in hair loss treatment.

It was a meaningful time in which leading researchers and experts from Korea and abroad, along with biotech companies, gathered to share their achievements and explore future directions together.

Session 1: Hair Loss Research in Basic Science

The first session focused on basic research related to hair loss.

Professor Sung-Hoon Kim of Yonsei University introduced a new peptide for hair loss treatment discovered during the protein translation process, and Professor Young-Wan Sung of Kyungpook National University shared efforts to identify hair growth-inducing substances using a screening system that mimics the structure of hair follicles.

Professor Hyun-Ho Yang of KAIST presented research on the structure of skin crack lattices. Although it was somewhat removed from hair loss itself, it offered a new perspective on the skin's microstructure.

Session 2: Molecular Mechanisms and Drug Development Strategies

The second session continued with presentations on the molecular biological mechanisms of hair loss disorders and strategies for drug discovery.

Professor Yoon-Soo Bae of Glos Biotech explained in detail the role of NADPH oxidase in androgenetic alopecia, and Professor Seung-Chan Ahn of Seoul National University introduced the potential for new drug development through AI-based phenotypic analysis techniques.

In particular, Dr. Hong-Taek Sung of EpiBiotech gave an interesting presentation on the development process of a candidate therapeutic discovered using single-cell RNA sequencing, making it clear how basic-science-based drug development proceeds.

Session 3: Into the Clinical and Industrial Field

The third session showed approaches to hair loss treatment from the perspectives of clinical and industrial settings.

In particular, the presentation by CEO Ju-Hee Kim of Inventage Lab dealt in detail with the development process of a long-acting finasteride injection, the drug's PK profile, and early clinical data. It drew significant attention because it suggested that the treatment effect could be sustained while reducing the number of administrations compared with oral drugs.

The fact that early clinical results conducted in Australia confirmed stable blood concentrations and a low incidence of side effects further increased confidence in the feasibility of this technology.

Next, Professor Ji-Won Oh of Yonsei University College of Medicine went one step beyond the topic of hair loss and addressed a fundamental biological question: lineage tracing of fibrotic cells using somatic mosaic patterns.

The presentation explored the fact that different genetic lineages coexist within a single organism, and how this background affects the differentiation process of hair and skin cells.

It was a time marked by scientific and philosophical insight, and I found myself nodding along throughout the talk.

Voices from the Clinical Field: The Potential of Noninvasive Approaches

As the final speaker, I introduced various treatments and the latest biomaterials used in actual clinical practice.

Focusing on PDLLA, PDRN, PN, botulinum toxin, low-molecular-weight chitosan, low-level laser therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, I shared case examples of various noninvasive treatments and discussed both their possibilities and limitations.

In particular, I emphasized that in Korea, where legal restrictions make it difficult to develop and use injectable formulations, a noninvasive approach using drug delivery devices could become an important alternative in the future.

The Starting Point for Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Above all, what impressed me most about this symposium was the attitude of academia and industry in trying to understand one another's language.

It takes countless hurdles and a long time for a new drug candidate to reach the clinical setting.

This was a time to share what each side is thinking about in its own position and to explore the possibility of practical collaboration. The Q&A and discussions that followed each presentation felt like scenes in which the boundaries between disciplines and industries were being broken down as everyone moved toward a common goal.

This YIPS Symposium reminded me once again that the single topic of hair loss treatment is not just a technical goal of "making hair grow," but sits at the intersection of multiple disciplines: biology, engineering, pharmacy, and clinical medicine.

As both a presenter and a clinician, I also gained a great deal of stimulation and insight, and I was able to find the beginnings of new collaborations.

It was a day that made me look forward even more to the direction of future research and treatment.