Questions For Ehrs 2016 (european Hair Research Society)

[Solomon]

Hello guys,

I need your help. Please write your questions and help me to prepare for the congress. I will attend presentations written below, record them and post in another thread on Monday/Tuesday.

Hope I will get interviews from the presenters as well.

1) R. HOFFMANN, K. MCELWEE (GERMANY) - TOWARDS A CELL-BASED THERAPY FOR PATTERN BALDNESS: CHALLENGES, SETBACKS, SUCCESSES AND OUTLOOK

2) E. WANG, AM. CHRISTIANO (USA) - JAK INHIBITORS SHOW EFFICACY IN TREATMENT OF ALOPECIA AREATA

3) C. HIGGINS (UK) - DERMAL CONDENSATIONS AND PAPILLAE IN HAIR DEVELOPMENT

4) E. KALABUSHEVA, E. VOROTELYAK (RUSSIA) - EARLY STEPS OF HAIR FOLLICLE REGENERATION IN VITRO

5) E. VOROTELYAK, AL. RIPPA, E. KALABUSHEVA, E. CHERMNYKH, A. TERSKIKH, V. TERSKIKH (RUSSIA) - HAIR FOLLICLE MORPHOGENESIS AND RECONSTRUCTION

6) C. HIGGINS (UK) - WHAT'S NEW IN BASIC HAIR RESEARCH?

7) A. ZLOTOGORSKI, Y. OVCHARENKO (ISRAEL) - WHAT'S NEW IN CLINICAL HAIR RESEARCH?


Here are questions by F2005, Willy31, GotHair?
Of course I won't be able to ask all the questions therefore I will try to chose the most relevant.

1. I believe number 5 is from those researchers that made hair follicles from stem cells (on rats though)
The question for them would be if they plan to start clinical trials soon? Some time back Sanford-Burnham got some major funding however the sceptic in me is thinking that they are still in preclinical work

2. As for Replicel I'm thinking it will be mostly how they can't get regulatory approval in Germany.

3. A guy has advanced this theory : "There will never be a drug that will recover the lost hair after the follicle has been inactive for several years . If the follicle is dead for some hair cycles, it is dead for good , all researchers seem to show (even Brotzu puts a limit of five years from its seemingly miraculous potion ...) " This is not the first time I hear that kind of comment. There are even those who think the skin eventually heal some point. If this is true , for someone who has a big thick crown, he still has as solution the graft and maybe cloning, but for a guy like me nothing more , that's scary! This is a very important and very relevant ! If this theory proves true , types completions bald would be doomed to remain so for the rest of their lives. Although an effective cream or a cloning process were to emerge , it will benefit. It is an abomination ! Hence the urgency to find a treatment as soon as possible for those who , like me, are completely recently. What do you think?

4. I loss all my hair because I took many bad medicaments (Prozac, Risperidone, Concerta) during many years at very very very very very high dose. I have NOTHING (ZERO) hair since 1 month. I still chance of cure?

5. Do you think that Jak Inhibitor will be effective for a medicinal diffuse alopecia (exemples: antidepressants (Prozac, Lithium), Risperidone, Concerta, others bad medication)? Same treatment will be effective for Androgenetic Alopecia & medicinal alopecia? Is the way the hair falls for both types of hair like ?

 

[I.D WALKER]

Hello Solomon,
The day will go fast so try not to spread yourself "too thinly".
Maybe we'll all be fortunate and learn that multi-tasking/compartmentalizing is your bailiwick. -)
Which presentation(s) are you currently most enthusiastic about?
First of all, if you have not already, I think you should at least prepare your inquiries with the
subject you find most promising.
Naturally record as much info as possible and we'll be able to process the transcripts in full at a later date.
Schedule in advance (if possible) a private post conference interview with any number of guest speakers as you can.
By then you'll be more prepared with your subject and likely more relaxed during the interview
whether it's via skype or phone, etc.
So again organize and center your efforts around the
speaking event you are most passionate about. From an ethical stand-point after all,
you are doing the work voluntarily so you have at least earned that reward.
I hope I made a little sense?
Best of luck and thanks for your gracious service to HairLossTalk.com.

 

[Dus]

Will JAK, if it works, have to go trough all three clinical trials?

 

[Swoop]

Thanks Solomon for doing this. I don't really have questions but I'm looking forward to your report and the presentations .

 

[Solomon]

Questions for Higgins? For Terkikh's team?

 

[GotHair?]

Questions for Higgins? For Terkikh's team?

Higgins seems to be doing a general presentation on the state of hair research. I have to admit though that I think Chinese and Tsuji are going to be the fastest to some kind solution in creating new hair follicles by either growing them in some in vivo culture or repurposing the IPCs. So I can't think of any special questions I would like to ask Higgins.

As for Terkish team. It would be great to ask them, as I mentioned before, if the will start clinical trials any time soon. The did grow some hair follicles on mice but since it was on mice I think they are still in preclinical phase.

 

[Swoop]

Is A.M Christiano present too?

 

[Solomon]

Is A.M Christiano present too?

No (AFAIK), only Eddy Wang. He works with Christiano on JAK inhibitors (AA)
But her name is in program. I haven't seen her today

E. WANG, AM. CHRISTIANO (USA) - JAK INHIBITORS SHOW EFFICACY IN TREATMENT OF ALOPECIA AREATA

 

[Swoop]

Ask this to Higgins and Tershikh:

Based on histopathological and ultrastructural studies we have come to learn that perifollicular inflammation is often present in Androgenetic Alopecia. Furthermore in some Androgenetic Alopecia cases fibrosis can be seen which leads to partly or complete destruction of the hair follicle. Do you think that Androgenetic Alopecia at a certain timepoint reflects a irreversible state, in the sense that only the creation of a new hair follicle will do through for instance organ regeneration? Please elaborate.

 

[hidden]

For E.WANG, based on what they proclaimed that jak inhibitors work topically for Androgenetic Alopecia? and what were the results, are we talking about full regrowth on bald areas as seen in areata cases and what is the expected date of begining for Androgenetic Alopecia trials and when to market, thanks.

 

[Swoop]

Ask this to Higgins. Or rather you should let her read this. Haha... You don't have too dude, only if you feel comfortable.. You can ask Wang too if you like but he didn't collaborate on that paper. Would be nice if you would do it, cause you'll challenge them .

Your recent paper in collaboration with A.M Christiano et al. "Pharmacologic inhibition of JAK-STAT signaling promotes hair growth" has led to the development of topical JAK inhibitors being investigated for Androgenetic Alopecia. The observation on the rodent model has led to the hypothesis that perhaps a topical JAK inhibitor leads to increased drug concentrations in the skin and that's why anagen onset in the rodent model is faster with topical administration than oral administration. However based on the pharmacokinetics and observations of compounds like tofacitinib we see that they exert biological activity towards the JAK enzymes around the bulb level when taken orally in humans with AA related disorders. After all they need to saturate the enzymes on the killer T cells and epithelial cells. Now this takes place around the bulb, right? Now one could argue that oral JAK inhibitors don't work for Androgenetic Alopecia and might work topically for Androgenetic Alopecia as the drug would need to concentrate itself a desired sufficient concentration up higher in the hair follicle too exert sufficient biological activity (around the bulge). However using oral JAK inhibitors we can see that they are often effective in vitiligo and psoriasis too. While these diseases seem to situate itself around the close proximity of the epidermis, which after all is fairly non-vascularized and above the bulge level of the hair follicle. This would probably say these drugs do exert biological activity even in the outermost layer of the skin when taken orally, surely when we look at the pharmacokinetics of a compound like tofacitinib.

It's pretty much a fact at this point that the rodent model is a bad model for androgenetic alopecia. It could be seen as a more viable model to study hair follicle cycling. However again we can see that oral JAK inhibitors don't even seem to modulate hair follicle cycling on any part of the body. There isn't even a single case report made of such a event occurring. Contrary to a compound like cyclorsporine A for instance which induces hypertrichosis in many subjects. Based on this all;

- Have you thought for other reasons why anagen onset was quicker with topical therapy in the rodent model than oral therapy? For instance not increased drug concentrations, but faster saturation through topical application (after all you are closer to the target, while systemic therapy might take a bit longer before the drug saturates the skin)

-No doubt that these JAK inhibitors are a great discovery that show very good promise in many immune related disorders. On a scale of 1-10 how big is your confidence that this will work and be the great next thing for Androgenetic Alopecia and can you elaborate why?

 

[Kagaho]

I dont know if it was said before, but the obvious question for Terskikh team is how far are they from starting clinical trials on humans

Also it is interesting to know if they've received some funding lately

 

[I.D WALKER]

http://www.hairlosscure2020.com/category/european-hair-research-society/

Well done King Solomon.

 

[hidden]

Hello solomon, any updates?