got this from hairsite.com
apparently phase 1 trials have already began
http://www.bodylanguage.net/dermatology/
Source: “Dermatology Issue #5â€
Follicular Cell Regeneration
Research into cloning hair follicles is at an advanced stage, having moved from successful results in preclinical rodent models to evaluation for safe use on people.
Working with Intercytex, a Manchester-based regenerative medicine company (with facilities in Boston, USA), we are seeking to restore lost hair by injecting cultured dermal papilla cells back into the scalps of the volunteers to induce the formation of functioning hair follicles to grow hair in significant numbers.
The benefits will be unlimited donor hair and greater density without the need for significant donor removal. This should make for a more tolerable and more acceptable operation for patients.“Cloning†is not an accurate expression for this work, because this suggests the reproduction of exact genetic replicas. A preferred term may be “follicular cell implantation†or “follicular cell regeneration†(courtesy of Dr J Cooley, USA) which falls within the genre of tissue engineering.
Intercytex, seeking to develop follicular cell implantation to treat hair loss, has used human dermal papilla cells to generate hair growth under experimental conditions. Since late 2003, volunteers at the Farjo Medical Centre have had donor hair roots taken from the occipital scalp. After micro-dissecting dermal papilla cells, these are expanded in culture for three weeks, harvested and then re-injected into the donor patients’ bald scalp.
In this phase of the clinical trials, the safety of the treatment in humans is evaluated, and a positive conclusion looks like it shall be reached. We are transplanting cultured cells (not hairs) into humans, but at present we are not at liberty to reveal any data. If successful, a commercial product could be available in four years.
The main obstacles are the right delivery technique and aesthetically acceptable growth. In the rodent model, hair grows every time.
Past studies include the works of Unger (Canada), Cooley (USA) and others. It is believed, however, that the Manchester study is the largest and most regulated human clinical trial for cell therapy for hair loss.
This research follows on from the work of Dr Roy Oliver in 1967 and more recently of Dr Colin Jahoda PhD and his team in Durham University. Drs Jahoda and Reynolds sought similarly to induce follicle growth and demonstrated how allogeneic cells from the dermal sheath could be implanted into the skin from a genetically unrelated person without causing a reaction to this foreign tissue.
For dermal cells to maintain their hair inductive capability, they need to inter-react with epidermal cells in the target recipient skin. In the UK study, Intercytex bypasses this step by mixing dermal cells with cultured epidermal cells to ensure hair inductivity prior to injecting the cells back into the scalp.
Hair transplant techniques are limited by the donor hair available. Success in the clinical trials will depend on growing these cells in culture in significant numbers.
This would enable the creation of the growth of thousands of hairs from just a few. In theory, the cells could even be stored in large numbers for future use.
apparently phase 1 trials have already began
http://www.bodylanguage.net/dermatology/
Source: “Dermatology Issue #5â€
Follicular Cell Regeneration
Research into cloning hair follicles is at an advanced stage, having moved from successful results in preclinical rodent models to evaluation for safe use on people.
Working with Intercytex, a Manchester-based regenerative medicine company (with facilities in Boston, USA), we are seeking to restore lost hair by injecting cultured dermal papilla cells back into the scalps of the volunteers to induce the formation of functioning hair follicles to grow hair in significant numbers.
The benefits will be unlimited donor hair and greater density without the need for significant donor removal. This should make for a more tolerable and more acceptable operation for patients.“Cloning†is not an accurate expression for this work, because this suggests the reproduction of exact genetic replicas. A preferred term may be “follicular cell implantation†or “follicular cell regeneration†(courtesy of Dr J Cooley, USA) which falls within the genre of tissue engineering.
Intercytex, seeking to develop follicular cell implantation to treat hair loss, has used human dermal papilla cells to generate hair growth under experimental conditions. Since late 2003, volunteers at the Farjo Medical Centre have had donor hair roots taken from the occipital scalp. After micro-dissecting dermal papilla cells, these are expanded in culture for three weeks, harvested and then re-injected into the donor patients’ bald scalp.
In this phase of the clinical trials, the safety of the treatment in humans is evaluated, and a positive conclusion looks like it shall be reached. We are transplanting cultured cells (not hairs) into humans, but at present we are not at liberty to reveal any data. If successful, a commercial product could be available in four years.
The main obstacles are the right delivery technique and aesthetically acceptable growth. In the rodent model, hair grows every time.
Past studies include the works of Unger (Canada), Cooley (USA) and others. It is believed, however, that the Manchester study is the largest and most regulated human clinical trial for cell therapy for hair loss.
This research follows on from the work of Dr Roy Oliver in 1967 and more recently of Dr Colin Jahoda PhD and his team in Durham University. Drs Jahoda and Reynolds sought similarly to induce follicle growth and demonstrated how allogeneic cells from the dermal sheath could be implanted into the skin from a genetically unrelated person without causing a reaction to this foreign tissue.
For dermal cells to maintain their hair inductive capability, they need to inter-react with epidermal cells in the target recipient skin. In the UK study, Intercytex bypasses this step by mixing dermal cells with cultured epidermal cells to ensure hair inductivity prior to injecting the cells back into the scalp.
Hair transplant techniques are limited by the donor hair available. Success in the clinical trials will depend on growing these cells in culture in significant numbers.
This would enable the creation of the growth of thousands of hairs from just a few. In theory, the cells could even be stored in large numbers for future use.
