Category Archives: Kevin McElwee

Dermal Sheath Cup Cells, Kevin McElwee, Replicel

Excellent Replicel CEO and CSO Interviews

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Update: April 28, 2025

Interview with Replicel CSO Kevin McElwee

I almost never update a post from the early years of this blog. But rather than writing yet another brief new post on Replicel (Canada), I am updating this old post due to the below new HairDAO interview with Replicel’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) Dr. Kevin McElwee (h/t “Jan Miedza”).

Dr. McElwee and Dr. Rolf Hoffmann (Germany) are credited with making the original discovery behind Replicel’s RCH-01 dermal sheath cup (DSC) cell therapy for pattern baldness. They published a study on this in 2013.

Note that Replicel’s ex-licensing partner Shiseido already released a version of this technology in 2024 in Japan. But it looks like Replicel is still not done and will try to conduct a Phase 2 trial in Europe, dependent on new funding. Early on in the interview, I think Dr. McElwee mentions using both lower level dermal sheath cells in addition to DSC cells in an improved process. Someone please verify and post the time stamp in the comments as I do not want to re-watch the video!

I discussed Dr. McElwee a number of times in the past due to his over 25 years of presence in the hair loss world. Besides being a researcher, he used to run an excellent hair related informational site with hair loss discussion forums at keratin.com, but it disbanded for a few years. It then got reincarnated as a hair loss blog and is still run by Dr. McElwee and his company McElwee Consulting.

Key quote from Dr. Kevin McElwee towards the end of the interview (slightly modified):

“I think Dr. Tsuji’s approach is the right kind of thing.”

I am delighted to hear this since I was among the first ones to get on the Dr. Takashi Tsuji bandwagon when I wrote about him over a decade ago. And because Dr. Tsuji later estimated a cure in 2020 just like I estimated, though he later had to fold his company and restart with OrganTech. Even more interesting, Dr. Tsuji will be interviewed by HairDAO soon. Amazing work by these guys if it comes to fruition.

October 24, 2014

Check out this excellent news RepliCel CEO David Hall podcast interview.

Replicel CEO David Hall Interview

In the interview with James West, Mr. David Hall essentially seems to be claiming that this is a complete cure once the main challenges regarding dosage and frequency are resolved. I now have second thoughts about Histogen’s recent presentation, where they suggest superior results to Replicel.

Regarding their trials, Dr. Hall summarizes that Replicel did a 16 patient Phase 1 study. This is the basis of the data that the company is now using for its Phase 2 study. The same data is also being used by Shiseido in Japan for their pending clinical trials.

In the 16-patient safety trial, Replicel saw an average density growth in 6 months of 11.8%. In comparison, the very best you get with the current drug therapies of Minoxidil (Rogaine) is 16%. And with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inhibitor Finasteride, about 14%. Moreover, those results are over a lengthier 12-month period of time.

The next step for Replicel is a 160-patient trial that will measure injection frequency and dosage. The reason this could be a complete cure is because they use the hair cells at the back of the head that are completely androgen insensitive. i.e. what is deemed as the permanent donor zone in hair transplants.

You take those permanent hair cells, replicate them, and then inject them into the frontal and crown balding regions of the scalp. In effect, you now have a full scalp of hair that is not susceptible to balding from the ravages of androgens and DHT.

Harklinikken, Histogen, Kevin McElwee, Lu Le

Harklinikken and other Hair News

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A few days later than usual due to the major new developments that I had to discuss in my prior two posts.

Harklinikken

— Denmark’s Harklinikken and its natural hair growth products are definitely not a miracle cure for hair loss. However, it seems like it may have some benefits per the NY Times. And the company has major expansion plans for the US market. Their product is derived from cow’s milk and various plants. Among Harklinikken’s major proponents is Ricki Lake.

— I covered Dr. Lu Le and his team’s groundbreaking discovery related to the biological processes behind both hair loss and grey hair in a post from May of this year. Now their local Dallas newspaper has much more detailed coverage of Dr. Le and his work. An interesting read.

— The first ever International Hair Restoration Conference was held in Vancouver, Canada in April 2017. During the past two months, the organizer has been releasing some interesting videos from the conference, including from the reclusive Dr. Kevin McElwee (Replicel) and Dr. Ray Woods (FUE hair transplant pioneer). Note that Dr. McElwee wrote most of the material on keratin.com (and he used to run the now nonexistent hair loss forums on that site). Moreover, he is a co-author of an interesting new paper on hair loss titled “Experimental and early investigational drugs for androgenetic alopecia“.

— Histogen’s proprietary “multipotent cell conditioned media” will be marketed by leading global cosmetics concern Allergan via the Regenica line of product. Although not related to Histogen’s main Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) hair loss product, it is worth noting that Allergan has several hair loss products (Bimatoprost and Setipiprant) that it is also developing. Perhaps they could purchase the rights to the HSC product in the future too?

— Very interesting study from Iran. Conclusion: “Our data showed that injection of a combination of adult human cultured dermal papilla and epithelial cells could induce hair growth in nude mice”.

And now on to medical items of interest:

— US scientists make genetically modified embryo. First ever case in the US.

— Breakthrough device heals organs via touch. Extremely hard to believe, but the research comes from a reputable university. The device delivers new DNA or RNA into living skin cells in order to change their function. Video here.

— Scientists successfully make old human cells younger via lengthening telomeres.

— Some retinas are indestructible and do not need regeneration:

Trump Hair Eclipse

— Harvesting the blood of the young.

— New high resolution 3D printing of live tissues.

— Blood test detects Alzheimer’s plaques in brain.

— Stem cell brain implants could extend lifespan 10-15 percent.

— 3D printing revolutionizing plastic surgery.