Research Team
Jennifer leads HairClone’s research into optimising and delivering our personalised cell therapy for rejuvenating miniaturising hairs. She comes from thirteen years of cell biology experience in the fields of stem cells and cancer research in both the UK and US. Jennifer gained a PhD in Molecular Cancer Studies from the University of Manchester researching cellular responses to the tumour microenvironment. She then spent four years as a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, investigating treatments for head and neck cancer and coordinating sample and data collection from numerous clinical trials, which have informed changes to treatment protocols.
Willow gained her First-Class (Honours) MSci in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham in 2023, where she completed a 6-month extended research project looking at the interactions between gut bacterial outer membrane vesicles and immune cell functional responses. The role enhanced her technical skills in human sample processing, cell culture use and flow cytometry. Willow is now a Research Scientist for HairClone, where she works towards the development of HairClone’s personalised cell therapy and the analysis of genetic markers within hair follicles that can predict balding and could be used to monitor response to therapies.
Ximena obtained her Molecular Biotechnology degree from the Valle University of Guatemala in 2024. She completed an internship in a molecular biology laboratory, carrying out diagnostic testing for respiratory viruses. Ximena also completed an internship at the Biotechnology Studies Center of Valle University of Guatemala, focusing on genetic engineering techniques.
During her thesis, she investigated the degradation of post-harvest sugarcane residue by soil fungi in collaboration with a Guatemalan company. Ximena also participated in biotechnological conferences in Guatemala and presented a scientific poster at one. Practical experience and university courses have given Ximena a solid background in cell culture and molecular biology that will be instrumental in furthering HairClone's goals.
During her thesis, she investigated the degradation of post-harvest sugarcane residue by soil fungi in collaboration with a Guatemalan company. Ximena also participated in biotechnological conferences in Guatemala and presented a scientific poster at one. Practical experience and university courses have given Ximena a solid background in cell culture and molecular biology that will be instrumental in furthering HairClone's goals.
Dr Summik Limbu gained her PhD under the supervision of Dr Claire Higgins in 2022 from Imperial College London and continues to work closely with HairClone. Her thesis looked at genetic determinants of androgenic alopecia and the differences between thinning and non-thinning hair biology. Summik graduated from University of Birmingham with a First-Class Honours in MSci Biochemistry. After graduation, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, where she joined the Cellular and Phenotyping group to derive induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with genetic mutations in their DNA repair pathways. In 2017, she joined Dr Claire Higgins’s lab as a PhD student to research the role of the hair follicle dermis in follicular miniaturisation which is co-funded by HairClone.
Chantelle is completing a PhD as part of the BBSRC-funded Nottingham Doctoral Training Programme (DTP), a partnership between Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham. She is conducting research focused on the mitotic cell cycle using a yeast model organism to investigate and identify potential resistance mechanisms which could occur when treating cancer. Since obtaining a BMedSc in Medical Science from The University of Birmingham in 2016, Chantelle has gained a broad range of experience as a Data Analyst, Communications and Marketing Manager and Research Scientist. As a current PhD student, she has advanced her technical skills in microbial experimental evolution, genomic extractions for sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis of genomic data.
Chantelle joins HairClone for three months as part of her Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) placement to support ongoing work towards the development of HairClone’s personalised cell therapy for rejuvenating miniaturising hairs and analysis of genetic markers in hair follicles that could predict response to therapies.
