Using Metabolism to Improve Skin Aging and Hair Loss: Heather Christofk, PhD and Navdeep Chandel, PhD

Metabolism has a direct impact on aging and the way we look. On today’s episode, we discuss the current research around metabolism with experts Dr. Heather Christofk and Dr. Navdeep Chandel and dive into hair follicle stem cell activation, a lesson on hyaluronic acid from naked mole rats, and the complexity of addressing oxidative stress and the skin’s extracellular matrix. Heather Christofk, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biological Chemistry at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and a director at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the role of metabolism on cancer and virus infections. She is co-founder of Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a company developing new drugs to treat baldness that activate hair follicle stem cells by changing their metabolism. She earned a bachelor’s degree at UCLA and a Ph.D. at Harvard University. Navdeep Chandel, Ph.D., is the David W. Cugell, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University. His research focuses on metabolism and mitochondrial signaling, particularly as it relates to cancer biology, the immune system, neuroscience, and aging. He’s the author of Navigating Metabolism. He earned his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in cell physiology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Chandel received the 2023 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. (01:45) – Introducing Dr. Heather Christoff and Dr. Nadi Chandel (05:51) – Crossing paths (09:15) – Drawn to metabolism and cell signaling (12:43) – Hair follicle stem cells (18:50) – Therapeutic potential (32:59) – Other tissue stem cells (34:43) – Hyaluronic acid (39:49) – Reactive oxygen species (47:44) – Cancer and ferroptosis (51:30) – Skin aging (57:06) – Mitochondrial function If there are topics that you are interested in learning more about, please visit MichaelJLeeMD.com. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please follow I’d Love to Know in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really helps others find the show. The information from this podcast does not constitute medical advice and is meant for basic informational purposes only. If you're interested in pursuing any of the therapies, supplements, or medications discussed here, please consult with your physician. Podcast episode production by Dante32.