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Aderans Research Institute, a biomedical group working toward developing an injectable hair cloning therapy, recently released updates from the second phase of its hair multiplication research trials. According to Aderans, the results of the trial (the second step in a proposed series of seven clinical observations) showed “significant hair growth” in over 50% of participants at the one year mark. Essentially, half the research subjects demonstrated new hair growth one year after receiving the injectable hair cloning therapy.

Although this is definitely exciting news and suggests that hair restoration research is continually progressing, there are several factors to consider before scheduling an injection appointment. The press release, whether intentional or not, does not contain certain, objective details: What does “significant hair growth” mean? Are these new hairs resistant to dihydrotestosterone (DHT – the hormone directly responsible for genetic hair loss)? Why were no objective “before and after” images released? What type of results were observed in the 50% of patients who did not see new growth?

Granted, this is a very recent update and Aderans may continue to analyze the information and release more conclusive data in the future, but there is definitely room for further clarification. However, as Dr. Ken Washenik, M.D., Ph.D. – the Executive Vice President of Aderans states, these new findings are likely an important first step and will lead to even greater future prospects. As usual, I highly recommend utilizing proven, effective techniques, like finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine), for the time being and remaining “cautiously optimistic” toward future treatments.

This question was asked by a member of our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums:

I’ve recently read a lot of exciting news regarding stem cell based injectable hair loss therapies and hair duplication (formerly known as autocloning), and I started wondering: should I investigate hair transplant surgery now, or wait for these future hair loss treatments?

Although recent reports of injectable hair loss cures and scientific research like the ACell Matristem projects are exciting and likely represent a hypothetical new shift in the way we treat hair loss, it’s always best to be mindful of treatments that are safe, effective, and currently available, and “cautiously optimistic” toward future modalities.

Because of the progressive and unpredictable nature of hair loss, it’s probably best to utilize the available solutions today (such as Rogaine/minoxidil, Propecia/finasteride, and, if appropriate, surgical hair restoration) and maintain your current level of native hair. Remember, seeking treatment now does not mean you’ll be ineligible for future therapies, and the more you stabilize your current level of hair loss today, the better the chance of successful future treatments tomorrow.

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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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While today’s surgical hair restoration is refined and very natural looking, donor hair supply is limited making it impossible for the vastly bald to restore a full head of hair. This is why hair duplication (formerly known as ”Autocloning“) has our hair restoration forum community so intrigued and excited.

Recently, Coalition member Dr. Jerry Cooley presented research on ACell MatriStem and the highly popular hair duplication technique at this year’s annual 2010 ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) scientific meeting in Boston. To view the highlights from the meeting, click here. While ACell MatriStem is known for its wound healing properties, it’s recent role in hair multiplication is by far the most intriguing to hair loss sufferers.

Hair Duplication (autocloning) works on the principle that a hair, when plucked properly, will emerge with its epithelial cells and follicular stem cells intact. According to Dr. Cooley, applying ACell to the plucked hair and then implanting it into the scalp “stimulates the body’s innate regenerative potential” to rebuild a completely new follicle including sebaceous gland and dermal papilla. Since plucked hairs also regrow in the original site, a potentially limitless donor supply is created, providing hair loss sufferers with the possibility of restoring a full head of hair. While very exciting news, it is important to note that there is still much research yet to be conducted. Among the questions that remain to be answered are:

• Are these regenerated hairs androgen sensitive? Androgen sensitive hairs will most likely fall out just like other natural hair susceptible to DHT.

Late last week, hair transplant pioneer and Coalition hair restoration physician Dr. William Rassman announced that he is beginning ACell Matristem hair duplication (formerly known as “autocloning“) trials at his Los Angeles office.

As explained by Coalition surgeon Dr. Jerry Cooley at the 2010 ISHRS (International Socieity of Hair Restoration Surgery) conference, ACell Matristem is a a new, non-invasive therapy that stimulates and amplifies that body’s own healing processes. Although it possesses many medical applications, the one that most excites hair loss sufferers is it’s ability to “auto-clone”  plucked hair follicles, or grow an entirely functional hair follicle from only a portion of an extracted unit.   To see highlights from the 2010 ISHRS Meeting, visit “Highlights of the 2010 ISHRS Scientific Meeting in Boston, MA”.   Also, view Dr. Cooley’s presentation on ACell Matristem and Hair Duplication (formerly known as AutoCloning).

Although Dr. Rassman explains that the issue still requires further research, he is looking for volunteers to participate in the ACell study. If you’re interested in participating, please feel free to contact Dr. Rassman’s clinic. To read about the hair duplicatin trial, click here (for the original announcement) and here (for an update from Dr. Rassman).

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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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Within the last several months, injectable, cell-based hair loss treatments seem to be the most discussed topic in medical hair restoration. Whether it’s a hair stimulating complex, stem cell based therapy, or even clandestine, miracle “compounds,” injectable hair loss therapies are being hailed as baldness cures by patients, rushed to clinical trials by biomedical corporations, and cautiously analyzed by practitioners and dedicated researchers.

Although excellent, detailed analysis has been written on the subject, hair loss sufferers still yearn for two crucial details: 1. Will these products work, and 2. When will they be available for use?

Unfortunately, we simple do not know (yet).

The efficacy of these products is something every individual involved with the field of hair restoration eagerly awaits. Although it’s difficult to generalize, many of these therapies have fallen prey to common research fallacies, such as initial promising data that does not continue during later phases, funding issues, a lack of adherence to scientific research techniques, and conducting insufficient rounds of clinical trials. However, several products have continued demonstrating noticeable results and are conducting advanced research trials as we speak. This type of progress will demonstrate the true initial efficacy (maintenance over a long period of time could become another issue) of these therapies, but unfortunately is not available yet. Additionally, until these products are proven safe and effective, they probably will not be available for commercial usage.

It is an exciting time for medical research. Treatments and procedures that were once the stuff of science-fiction are now becoming reality. However, with all of these medical advancements, the long-awaited hair loss cure continues to elude us. But there may be hope somewhere on the horizon. Scientists all over the world are currently involved in research that is either directly related to finding a cure for balding or may lead to further developments toward one.

Recently, Histogen’s Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has been garnering a lot of attention in the patient community.   Histogen offers the potential promise of a permanent increase in overall density through new hair growth and a general improvement in the quality of existing hairs. Histogen is still in development and requires a lot more testing before it can provide any real hope to hair loss sufferers.   However, Histogen has reported favorable results during the first phase of clinical trials and will initiate the second phase of trials early next year in Asia. To discuss Histogen on our hair restoration forum, click here.

While Histogen may provide hope to balding men and women, other potential treatments may exist in the future. Scientists continue to explore hair multiplication, a means of cloning DHT resistant hair follicles and either injecting or transplanting them into a patients scalp to produce new hair growth.   Additionally, stem cell researchers from Sweden and Scotland discovered why transforming thymus cells into skin cells may offer a potential treatment for baldness. While positive changes have occurred in the testing of rats, getting it to work on humans may not be so easy. You are also encouraged to add your thoughts and opinions to the following discussion thread, Stem Cell Researchers May Have Found Baldness Cure.

With millions of men and women worldwide anxiously awaiting a hair loss cure, the first to market with a viable solution will no doubt reap huge rewards. Today, the greatest hope for such a cure may lie in stem cell research. Virtually unheard of only a few years ago outside of the medical field, stem cells have now become a household term. Promising to do everything from regrowing limbs to curing disease, stems cells may also provide the key to hair multiplication (HM).

With an eye toward developing such revolutionary treatments, Histogen Inc. opened its doors in 2007. Histogen is a regenerative medicine company that has been developing a series of products based on proprietary bioreactors (systems that support a biologically active environment) that mimic the embryonic environment but do not contain embryonic stem cells or animal components of any kind. This is good news because it avoids the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell research that has caused periodic disruptions in government funding.

While there are a number of products in development at Histogen, the one that is of most interest to hair loss sufferers is their Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC). Currently being developed and evaluated as an injectable for hair growth, a single injection applied to one area of the balding scalp is reported to produce a 20% increase in terminal hairs that are expected to then grow for a period of time equal the duration of the patient’s original hair. In other words, if the patient lost his original hair after 30 years, the newly formed hair follicles should also last for 30 years.

Recent results published by a joint team of stem cell researchers from Sweden and Scotland may one day offer hope for those suffering from hair loss. The team, led by Professor Yann Barrandon, head of the stem cell lab at the University of Lausanne, had been searching for a way to help burn victims by growing viable skin when they unexpectedly changed one cell type into a completely different one. In the process, they ended up with skin cells complete with working hair follicles.

While testing how stem cells extracted from the thymus of lab rats would perform if transplanted into growing skin, the team discovered that the cells ceased behaving as they did in the thymus and began performing just like healthy skin cells. “These cells really change track, expressing different genes and becoming more potent,” said Prof. Barrandon.   Past attempts to grow skin cells resulted in tissue that lasted only three weeks. The tissue produced in this method has lasted up to one year and includes the precious hair follicles lacking in previous attempts.

It is important to note that these are preliminary results that have only been tested in rats. It is uncertain at this time how this process may work in humans and how it might be implemented in order to restore hair to a balding head. However, it does offer one more avenue of hope to those men and women who have been eagerly awaiting a baldness cure.

Throughout history, men and women have been searching for the secret to curing hair loss. In fact, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (The father of modern medicine) was not unlike modern day hair loss sufferers attempting to reverse their balding. Among other “treatments” to curb hair loss, Hippocrates devised an ancient hair loss remedy that included a mixture of horseradish, cumin, pigeon droppings, and nettles to be applied to the scalp. As you may have guessed, this and hundreds of other wacky treatments have proven to be ineffective in combating thinning hair. The good news for the men and women of the 21^st century is that real options, both surgical and non-surgical now exist.

Despite the number of proven treatments today, many men and women are convinced that the real “cure” already exists and is known only to a select few individuals including the rich and the famous. Unfortunately, these hair loss sufferers quite often find themselves parting with hundreds or thousands of dollars as they gobble up every whimsical lotion, tonic, pill or device being hawked on late-night TV or in the back of magazines. So how do you know what works and what doesn’t in the world of hair restoration?

On June 25th through the 27th, 2010, The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ISHRS) is hosting a conference in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference, which focuses on new advances in Asian hair transplantation, features two hair transplant surgeons recommended by the Hair Transplant Network –  Dr. Damkerng Pathomvanich, and Coalition physician Dr. Jerry Wong.

Dr. Pathomvanich is presenting an introductory speech and giving presentations on hairline placement in Asian hair restoration patients, eyebrow transplantation in Asian patients, and stem cell and growth factor hair loss treatments. He’ll also be sitting on several question and answer panels and assisting in several follicular unit transplantation (FUT) cases.

Dr. Wong is giving presentations on the difference between pre-made follicular unit incision sites and stick-and-place incisions, mega sessions for Asian patients, facial hair transplantation, and temple hair transplantation. He too will be sitting on several panels and assisting in follicular unit transplantation cases.

Congratulations to both Dr. Pathomvanich and Dr. Wong!

Blake Bloxham – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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