Hopefully by now you should have a rough idea of what hair cloning is all about. So will this technology be a reality one day? I would say it’s definitely coming and it’s just a matter of when before it becomes available to the public (or how much agony you will have to suffer waiting for it).
Come back regularly and get the latest updates and progress reports from companies and researchers engaged in the race for the ultimate cure for hair loss. Now, let’s see who the leaders in this field are and how far have they come with the solution that we all been waiting for.
The People Responsible
Hair cloning is not relatively 'fresh' concept due to the fact that it’s been researched and discussed for around over decade now. There are many companies interested in advancing in this field but just a handful of them are seriously pursuing to develop a workable product for the public.
Most of these companies usually have backgrounds in stem cell research which concentrate on skin rejuvenation and repair products. Therefore, these companies already have the right know how, knowledge and manpower to pursue and focus on hair cloning.
Hair cloning indeed belongs to a very niche market and I am pretty sure that the first company that manages to hit the jackpot will definitely be seeing a huge boost in their bottom line. Therefore, most of them are heftily relying on the possible success of their hair cloning researches as their win or break point. Some of these companies are
- Intercytex
- Aderans Research Institute
- Follica Bio Labs
- Histogen Labs
We will go through briefly on their hair cloning updates to see how far each has been doing. – Updated April 2009
Intercytex
Intercytex is an UK based company that is listed in the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange. Currently the company is involved in developing stem cells related products and also funding researches in hair cloning.
The company’s most anticipated product, aptly named as ‘ICX-TRC’ is the so called ‘permanent solution to hair loss’. At the present moment, they are performing clinical trials to observe the effectiveness of this product.
ICX-TRC applies the basic hair cloning procedure where it will require your multiplied dermal papilla cells to help stimulate new hair follicles to form and also triggering weakened follicles to grow again. The expected administration method is via injecting the cells directly into your scalp at specific locations for the stimulation to take place. Take a look at their video here for a visual guide on how it works.
By late 2008, the company had announced that they had finished with Phase I and II of their clinical trials. These trials were specifically conducted to monitor side effects on humans and also how effective the product is to growing hair to a number of control groups. Here’s a brief info on their report taken from their website...
In this study, subjects were injected 900 times with 1µl aliquots of DP cells in a large area which was photographed at the end of the study. Subjects were also injected in a smaller area, divided into two sections - counts were obtained by shaving and photographing the two small sections of scalp, injecting them multiple times (either 1 injection of 50 µl or 50 injections of 1 µl) with living DP cell suspension and then applying a specialized image analysis system to provide a total hair count. In these small sections, all 19 subjects in the trial were treated using a range of injection and scalp pre-stimulation techniques; the first 6 subjects were injected without stimulation of the scalp. In the remaining 13 subjects the resident hair producing (epithelial) cells were stimulated at the time of delivery of the DP cells in one of the two treatment sites.
13 subjects completed the 48-week trial with 6 subjects lost to follow-up. Of the 13 subjects completing the trial the data showed that:
- 65% (11/17) of the treated sites in the non-stimulated group responded to the treatment by increasing numbers of hairs of all sizes
- 71% (12/17) of the treated sites in the non-stimulated group responded to the treatment by increasing numbers of hairs over 30 microns in diameter
- 78% (7/9) of the treated sites in the stimulated group responded to the treatment by increasing numbers of hairs of all sizes
- 100% (9/9) of the treated sites in the stimulated group responded to the treatment by increasing numbers of hairs over 30 microns in diameter
- The overall take rate (number of hairs produced per 100 injections) in the stimulated areas was
- 40% (n=6) for hairs of all sizes
- 18% (n=6) for hairs over 30 micron in diameter
- The larger (900 injection) area photographs have not yet been analysed.
These data are consistent with the interim data reported last September and further confirm the hypothesis that new hair production is improved by pre-stimulation of the scalp, leading to an interaction between the injected cells and the resident hair producing cells.
Frankly speaking, these test results are however not the best but bear in mind that it’s still new and there will still be a lot of fine tuning that I left to be done. So let’s see what will happen next with this company.
Aderans Research Institute
Another interesting entity that we should pay attention to is the Aderans Research Institute (ARI) based in Atlanta and Philadelphia. ARI is actually a research arm of the largest hair transplant network in the USA, more famously known as BOSLEY Group which has hair transplant franchises all over the country. (Bosley’s parent company itself is the large Japanese firm known as ADERANS Ltd, the largest wig manufacturer in the world.)
ARI is dedicated in developing and researching methods to perfect the hair cloning process. The research team is lead by Dr. Washenik and Dr. Stenn, both famous in the field of hair biology and restoration.
Aderans Research Institute is currently performing phase II trials of their hair cloning technique which slightly differs from the rest. Noting the process as 'follicular neogenesis' the technique involves more than just growing the dermal papilla cells alone but instead combining them in culture dishes with another type of cell known as Keratinocytes.
One of the major obstacles in hair cloning is that dermal papilla cells usually lose their ability to form hair follicles once they are cultured outside of the body. The suspected reason is because of the absence of other cells to 'remind them' of their purpose. Therefore, the team’s main approach is by hoping that if these cells are cultured together, it will help the dermal papilla cells to remember its ability and hopefully will be able to form hair follicles once inserted back into the scalp.
Currently phase II trials are taking place and it’s expected to be completed by the end of 2009.
Follica
Follica has obtained an exclusive worldwide license from on of the top universities in the USA (University of Pennsylvania) for developing a new hair cloning technology that can stimulate the formation of new hair follicles.
The company’s founder, Dr. George Cotsarelis stumbled upon this discovery during an experiment with the skin. He found out that after a skin has been cut, it’s possible to alter the repair cells from instead of just repairing the damaged skin to perform other tasks as well, like triggering the formation of new hair follicles.
The doctor was the one that first to discover that by applying a complex protein network known as WNT (pronounced as Wint) intentionally to small cuts created on lab mice caused hair to sprout out from an area where there was no hair previously.
It’s a pretty complicated process but to simply put it, the basic idea is to develop a method where the surgeon will gently create minor cuts on the scalp and then applying a combination of WNT proteins and other growth factors to trick the cells to form into a hair follicle instead of just repairing the skin. If this works, this will definitely be a unique way to get your hair back! Stay tuned for more updates from Follica!
Histogen
Histogen is a relatively new company that was formed in 2007 and seems to have the best potential to be one of the first companies to come out with a preliminary hair cloning product.
The company’s flagship product Regenica is a proprietary liquid that utilizes newborn fibroblast cells cultivated in their self made embryonic chamber and then harvesting the cell’s secretion of embryonic proteins and growth factors and bio-factors.
Histogen believes that with the combination of this exclusive bio formula, their product are capable to regenerate damaged cells as well as supports the renewal of new skin cells.
Another variant of their product known as Regenica for Hair Regrowth will be part of the company’s product range that utilizes these basic formula of proteins and special cell extracts and then adding a little twist into it.
Studies have shown that when applied onto the skin, these embryonic cells can trigger the formation of new hair follicles, increase the thickness of existing hairs and increasing the amount of hairs growing from each hair follicle.
Under the supervision of Dr. Craig Ziering, a top hair transplant surgeon and the founder of Ziering Medical, the company is currently obtaining more human safety data to allow for further human trials before launching the product to the market.
Reaching the Finishing Line
You can definitely see by now the potential income and revenue that can be generated from hair cloning. If it works, it will be the most sought after treatment that any hair loss sufferers will be seeking for and will cause most hair loss options like Propecia, Rogaine and hair transplantation obsolete.
With that much prospects ahead, it’s no wonder so many companies are heavily investing their funds into making this new generation of hair loss treatment a reality and whoever finishes first, will make it REALLY BIG in the hair restoration scene.
To you, the hair loss sufferer, hair cloning most probably once and for all, put you at peace with hair loss as there will finally be something that you can ultimately say, an effective yet permanent solution for hair loss.
Stay in touch with this page and we will update you with the latest hair cloning updates when it becomes available.
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All information here are written by a hair loss sufferer based on experience and self research.
It's best to seek a medical professional regarding any health problems.
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