Today’s “The Telegraph” newspaper from the UK has an interesting article titled:
“Are we witnessing a new dawn for baldness treatments?”
Unfortunately, the article is behind a Paywall, but I have highlighted the main points further below.
Interesting New Baldness Treatments
As is the case with all such clickbait titled articles, a lot of the information is not new to us or is exaggerated. Nevertheless, I do believe that the past 5-10 year period has been the most groundbreaking in hair loss research history. And this article has some interested new information.
Dr. Coen Gho
Amazingly, the first ten paragraphs of the article are devoted to Dr. Coen Gho and his Hair Science Institute! For anyone who has been reading about hair loss treatments for more than 15 years, Dr. Gho is a legend as well as highly controversial. Please read my past post on Dr. Coen Gho and his hair multiplication technique.
Dr. Gho’s method attempts to avoid donor area hair thinning by only using part of the follicle during a hair transplantation procedure. It supposedly works by stimulating the stem cells within that small piece of tissue to generate new hairs. At the moment, this supposedly yields two hairs from a single follicle fragment. However, Dr. Gho is now developing a separate technique that could potentially generate 10 hairs:
“Gho has just gained approval to test the technique in female patients in research studies. If all goes well, he hopes that it may be possible to offer it as a treatment in the next four to five years.
Right now a typical treatment involves taking grafts from 1,400 hair follicles, which means 3,000 new hairs,” says Gho. “Can you imagine what we can achieve if we could use those same grafts to generate 10,000 hairs?”
Please note that there is significant debate and controversy about Dr. Gho’s technique and its efficacy.
According to Dr. Gho, current hair transplant demand at his clinic is 3-4 times higher than before the Covid pandemic. This makes sense per various hair transplant statistics. All my hair transplant advertisers also backed out this year since their clinics are too busy through Spring 2022. They do not want to keep rejecting new patients! Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Instagram and more have really pushed people into getting cosmetic surgery at a record rate.
Cassiopea and Riken
In this article, Cassiopea CEO Dr. Diana Harbort is quoted as saying that there is a major need for a novel hair loss treatments. She gets weekly e-mails from people trying to enroll in trials for the company’s hair loss product Breezula.
Riken and Dr. Tsuji are discussed in great detail, especially his attempts at crowdfunding (they only need $3.2 million). According to Dr. Tsuji:
“As soon as we can get the funding, a clinical study could be started within a few months, and a pay-to-participate clinical program could begin within two years in Japan.”
Dr. Ke Cheng and Exosomes for Baldness
Of most immediate interest to me is a section on exosomes as being one of the new array of baldness treatments. It is preceded by a discussion of PRP for hair loss.
I have covered exosomes in detail in three past posts. There was also a presentation on this treatment at last month’s ISHRS conference (where it was discussed favorably, albeit with warnings about new FDA regulations).
In this latest Telegraph article, the author interviewed Dr. Ke Cheng from the Cheng Lab at North Carolina State University. Mr. Cheng is a professor of regenerative medicine and his research interests include exosomes and micro-RNAs. His team published a paper on exosomes and hair growth in 2020:
Dr. Cheng’s Lab is using exosomes from healthy hair follicle cells (which also contain microRNA) and injecting them into balding regions of the scalp. These “fresh” exosomes send messages to the hibernating cells to promote hair regrowth.
“So far Cheng has tested this approach in mice and found that it can achieve a six to seven-fold increase in hair growth compared with traditional hair loss drugs such as minoxidil. He is now conducting experiments to see whether the same results can be achieved in human hair cells in the lab.”
Dr. Cheng plans to start clinical trials in “the next five years” and is actively speaking to venture capital firms. Kind of a strange time frame, since so many hair transplant surgeons already offer this treatment.
Even with strict new FDA regulations, it seems like some doctors are still treating patients with exosomes. Note that these extracellular vesicles are derived from another person, so are not classified as autologous in nature.
Interesting. I think there are many potential solutions on the horizon, one of which may be helpful. The problem is the time it takes to find out.
“Dr. Cheng plans to start clinical trials in “the next five years”.
Ridiculous it takes five years just to get a clinal trial approved. THEN we wait another few years to see whether or not it’s any good. There has to be a way to fast track some of this. Just seems unreasonable to me (and to many others, I’m sure).
Exosomes seems most promising here…but who knows.
I really hope that “in the next 5 years” means any time in the next 5 years :-)
Oh, that’s a good point. Maybe. And maybe they throw out five etc. years as a worst case scenario. We all know how much we hold them to these timelines. If he said two and it was a day after two people would be in an uproar so maybe they give themselves some wiggle room. Hard to say.
Fast forward to the year 2121. “…clinical trials to begin in the next 5 years”. When I read the words mice, clinical trials and five years. I yawn, pat the pillow, roll over an’ go back to sleep. Nite.
“Gho has just gained approval to test the technique in female patients in research studies. If all goes well, he hopes that it may be possible to offer it as a treatment in the next four to five years.” 4 to 5 years? For a surgical technique? Did Dr. Jerry Wong need 4 to 5 years in research phase for the lateral slit technique? I don’t think so.
Jesus Christ what is wrong with Tsuji.
It’s been 9 months since his announcement, and still no funding? Ridiculous. It’s so disappointing to see this superior technology failing because of a lack of money. I just don’t get it, really.
I hope the likes of Epi, Stemson and others don’t fail like the Japanese do. Stemson seems to be the most focused and professional at the moment.
Ben,
Tsuji is the epitome of what is means to be a modern scientist.
Here’s the breakdown:
Step 1 :Discover ground breaking research.
Step 2 : Lack the business acumen required to apply the research in any meaningful way.
There is also L’Oreal, which has been working with a specialist laser printing company since at least 2016. They are keeping their cards quite close to their chests, but I live in hope that there may be significant advances in the next few years. After all, this is a very big and reputable company with an excellent track record.
Who knows….maybe they ll spend all the money on their office Christmas party.
Unfortunately, I dont believe Tsuji’s research or methods work.
There are plenty of inferior companies raising money but a guy with groundbreaking technology and an infinitely lucrative product market cant raise $3 million?? That just doesn’t add up.
As much as I wanted to believe in him, I see no indications that his work is groundbreaking or anywhere near the cure.
Very true. Its also kind of far away that we can reproduce 1000s of organs and implant them.
This wont work for a long time i guess.
That’s a good point. It’s not like he’s trying to raise three billion. He can’t get three million? After all this time? It does seem rather sketchy. He should have been able to raise that easily/quickly.
Tsuji’s so broke, his sponsor child to sends him money.
Yep, this…common sense, VC and the like literally chuck money at projects, they know out of the 15 they fund 14 can fail but the one that makes it will be big and more than offset the rest.
Given that, it’s ludicrous and impossible Tsuji can’t secure funding – means he doesn’t have anything close to viable I’m afraid.
It’s always “just 5 years” away, for the past 20 years I’ve been waiting “just 5 years”.
When we step into the world of hairloss you always have to add a 0 to the 5 … therefore 5 years really means 50;) keep on waiting guys, maybe some day …
That’s true. I had baldness since early 30s
And now in 50s.
Still no cure. And still 5 years promises. Lol.
Thanks for the post admin. Nothing groundbreaking in the article but would love to know if people have personal experiences with using exosomes as I haven’t found much aside from marketing?
Just completing a 60 patient study using Varin topical Hemp oil, proceeded by a 30 patient study last year on post menopaused females. Results have been extremely good. I was the research Coordinator for the Minoxidil Study (Upjohn) 1984 Finasteride Study (Merck) 1989. Study for FDA clearance, Low level Laser ( Lexington Int. 2003) all three FDA cleared hair treatment modalities. The Hemp derivative evidently has an effect on Low Grade Inflammation. (Registered Clinicial Trials .Gov) US library of Medicine NCT04842383 Identifier No.
John Satino / Greg Smith MD – I figured out the formula you were using (ish, and minus the Lanolin) and have been applying 2ml topical for the last 4.5 months. I was almost completely bald and have seen significant hair growth. The patch at the back is the slowest to change, but seen some there too. Most significant is the main area and temporal. I have plenty of pictures when I’m ready to share. I now have thicker hair where I previously had almost invisible thin hair. The hair is still thin, so not sure if or how long it would take to get a full head of hair, but I planning to continue to at least the 6mo month. At the moment, I can tell if it’s a full blown cure, or has given me some hair back.
Pete, can you give more details on what youve been applying? (Dosage, frequency, vehicle, etc).
What’s the deal Pete? Give us the recipe.
@ John Satino … the trial is early Phase 1. When will it be available? Will it be OTC?
I had been getting Instagram ads for months for Happy Head, which is an online MD service which has a topical Fin + Minox (8%) formula. Yesterday, I got an advertisement from them on my feed for what they now call the most powerful topical available. It’s topical Dut + Fin + Minox. I was interested until I saw the monthly price. I’ve never used them before and this is not an endorsement. Dut + Fin topical is interesting.
I just lost a bit of respect for Admin. Sure he’s having healthy skepticism about Dr. Gho, but it’s mixed with misplaced optimism. Dr. Gho is a proven scam-artist; a few years ago a patient on BTT posted high-quality photos of his entire scalp where he meticulously counted every graft extracted and every graft implanted. See:
https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/threads/26632-HASCI-analysis-w-photos-results
I have even linked to Hasci exposed in my main post on Dr.Gho:
https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/threads/17267-HASCI-exposed-website
But yes, perhaps even some optimism is unwarranted in this case.
Fair enough admin. The HASCI exposed website AFAIK hasn’t been available in a few years, but the full-procedure link I posted above is still accessible. The doctor who did this particular procedure, Dr. Deborah Smaal, left Hasci a year or two later and founded her own FUE clinic, which she explicitly told did not entail donor regrowth.
The HASCI exposed website contained macro photos on extracted grafts which showed they did not really appear “split”, among other things. Note: HASCI have been saying they’ve been working on their “superior” hair multiplication method for almosr 10 years, and bet they’re going to keep working on it “indefinitely”.
Sorry admin, but nothing to see here, move on people.
John Satino/Greg Smith
When can you forward us pics of results?
Will you be doing more trials and if so, how do we get involved?
And how do us go getters get our hands on this treatment? Thanks for your time.
I emailed them, but no response yet.
I think the most realistic prediction is that we will still rely on finasteride and minoxidil in 2030 so for the next 10 years there will nothing come out realistically. Hell, I feel like even in 15 years there is a decent shot this has not made any progress. this is based on past experience and the progress in understanding of the condition which is very small.
Perhaps it is just as well that the UK’s Telegraph is behind a pay wall; after all, this is the newspaper (sic) in which Boris Johnson cut his teeth by simply inventing false stories about the European Union. Sadly, the wider press does not have a good track record on serious journalism about hair loss. At least these days there seem to be fewer stories making fun of celebrities who wear hair systems: so often betraying a kind of sexism against men. The problem of hair loss is at least taken more seriously these days: perhaps as it can strike anyone, at any time, in any place. And the fact that you appear to have a good genetic inheritance is no guarantee: believe me….
https://www.proderm.de/en/proderm/news/message/androgenetic-alopecia
Well that sounds interesting. Any idea who the “European Biotech Company“ is? Or the method of intervention?
When I googled the location, it was Follicum. Hope they have a second one instead!
Administrator of Hairlosscure2020,
Can you provide any update on hope medicine now that they have began phase 2 trials for endometriosis and androgenic alopecia.
Thanks,
Yixin
People mentioning 5 to 10 year quote is over used and getting old it’s annoying to read.
I know let’s say the truth its 15 to 20 year’s away easily. Hair cloning is not going to happen within this decade at all!!!
Winlevi is now available in the U.S.
https://www.empr.com/home/news/acne-vulgaris-treatment-winlevi-now-available/
But no one can afford it.
Quantity Per unit Price
60 grams $9.73 $583.70
WINLEVI
Apply 1g twice daily.
60 gram tube (1 month supply).
Costco – $552.05
Kroger – $555.40
Publix $555.40
Rite Aid $565.75
Walmart $574.91
Walgreens $579.20
CVS $582.17
Albertsons $603.35
Local Pharmacies $554.94
Haha per month!! If Breezula is released at a similar price point the cost will be around $6898.92 per year—7K. If you have no insurance or an ineligible provider (Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, etc) you are an absolute fool to pay the full price and not just get a hair system or a transplant. (Breezula isn’t a cure! It’s not even that good; who here is gonna pay that price year-after-year-after-year).
This news has the same effect on me as Tsuji’s clinical stage $735,000 per patient price tag did—I went from being excited to wishing them total failure. Sour grapes I suppose. Looks more and more like hairloss will be the poor man’s disease, if it ever really is ‘cured’.
Toccata … calm down. When the patent expires the drug will be worth pennies. Welcome to the real world.
Unless you can get your insurance to cover it:
Winlevi Co-Pay Program: Eligible commercially insured patients may pay as little as $25 per 1 tube prescription with a maximum savings of $7,231 for 14 tubes;
Kintor Pharma Announces Dosing of First Patient in Phase II Clinical Trial of KX-826 for the Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia Female Patients in China. A safer and more effective drug is in urgent need to address the concerns for the people suffering from hair loss. As a topical AR antagonist with an identified target, KX-826 has showed good efficacy and safety profile in the phase II clinical trial in China for the treatment of AGA male patients. We look forward to further expanding the clinical potential of KX-826 and benefiting more people suffering from hair loss.
Kintor phase II update in females…
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kintor-pharma-announces-dosing-of-first-patient-in-phase-ii-clinical-trial-of-kx-826-for-the-treatment-of-androgenic-alopecia-female-patients-in-china-301422829.html
James forget about kintor …
Their phase 1B FDA data suggested serum concentrations of the drug are high. So expect systematic effects nonetheless.
@meko – I tried oral finasteride three different times only to stop three weeks in bc of the side effects. I started using Happy Head a little over 2 months ago and I’m excited to say that I’m experiencing great results without any side effects. My hair line, mid-scalp, temporal regions, and back of head have experienced the best results. The crown region is lagging, but overall I’m ecstatic. I started balding at 23 I have diffused thinning, now 31. I was virtually completely bald, but bc I’m a diffused thinner I still had a lot of velours hairs, which in my non-medical opinion is why I’m responding well to Happy Head treatment.
I hope to post before and after a with a new full head of hair. Maybe optimistic but if the first two months is any indicator I think there’s a good chance.
I’ve been following this blog for years. I’m hopeful for all of us. Extremely grateful for this page/community.
Cheers!
Hmm. Looks like happy head is just a combination of minox and fin. At 80 a month, worthy a try but I’m always skeptical. Glad it’s working for you, though. Share some photos if you’re able to. Thanks.
I take it back. That’s actually a lot per month for something that is only mildly helpful – and may still produce the side effects of fin (one reason I don’t take fin). I guess I’d need to hear from more people that have actually used it and some results.
@Guy – thanks for your post. How could you be getting great results at only the 2-month mark? It takes close to 3 months for growth.
Hello, I am writing to you from the future, exactly from 2032. I wanted to let you know that baldness was cured thanks to the discovery of a molecule called Sinaldil in 2030, now that you know, put your soul in peace and wait patiently, in the meantime enjoy your life, because you never know when lady death will come knocking on your door.
Hi from the present. Thanks for the heads-up, but need something now. Btw; My soul died years ago (waiting), this is my NW 0 avatar speaking.
Hi Admin,
Maybe Steve Ballmer can donate he only has 100 billion, but no hair :)
Hey Admin,
Any chance you can catch up with Gregory Smith about his Hemp Oil treatment?
Hi Zach, Dr. Satino commented recently in my November 8 post FYI.
I do not want to email them about this again at the moment, but might next year if it is still in the news.
@meko I was equally as surprised. Pleasantly surprised, of course! I’ll be sure to drop a link in the comments when I post my results.
Best of luck “Guy” and great to hear!