I first heard about Energenesis Biomedical (Taiwan) in 2018 via formerly highly active Japanese hair loss blogger Fuji Maru. The company was working on a new hair loss treatment called ENERGI-F701.
Energenesis AMPK Activator ENERGI-F701
The company’s technology revolves around the AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) enzyme. By enhancing the activity of AMPK, ENERGI-F701 supposedly boosts the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels of human follicle dermal papilla cells (DPCs). This in turn slows down hair follicle aging and prolongs the hair cycle.
Interestingly, metformin and rapamycin both impact autophagy via inhibiting mTOR and AMPK signaling. Both drugs are being heavily studied for potential human longevity benefits.
According to the company, ENERGI-F701 is also able to counter the negative effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) upon hair growth. This is per animal studies.
In 2018, Energenesis launched a Phase II clinical trial (NCT03351322) for female pattern hair loss (FPHL) at several medical centers in Taiwan. They would use a topical solution of ENERGI-F701. In 2019, they announced completion of target patient enrollment.
In May 2023, Energenesis Biomedical released a study in which they concluded that ENERGI-F701 solution was more effective in treating FPHL without initial hair shedding in comparison to Regaine® 2% minoxidil solution. Moreover, at 12 weeks:
- ENERGI-F701 increased hair counts from 80.8 hairs/cm2 to 92.9 hairs/cm2.
- Regaine increased hair count from 90.1 hairs/cm2 to 101.9 hairs/cm2.
- ENERGI-F701 caused a greater increases in the mean hair density and hair thickness compared to topical minoxidil 2%
However, during the past few years, the company has not announced anything on its news page about this product. I was therefore not planning to write this post for the time being.
However, I then happened to come across a 2024 video presentation from the company. In there, they discuss ENERGI-F701 and its possible future release as a cosmetic product (screenshot and video both below). And as in the earlier mentioned study, they show the results to be superior to minoxidil (Rogaine).
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
Interestingly, I have mentioned ATP a few times on this blog.
- One of the way’s in which minoxidil works to grow hair is via the agonistic affects on adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channels.
- The light energy from laser hair growth devices increases production of ATP. This in turn releases nitric oxide and boosts energy levels and oxygenation in hair follicles.
- The most popular hair loss shampoo in Japan is based on Adenosine and is called Shiseido Adenovital. The ingredient adenosine is itself very popular in Japan as a hair growth promoter.
- Some hair transplant surgeons use liposomal ATP spray after hair transplants in order to aid healing and graft survival.
A number of scientists have also found that longevity is associated with higher ATP levels.
It’s interesting that no matter what the treatment or the mechanism of action, we tend to see these similar, quite modest results. If you had 10 hairs before, after treatment you’ll have 11. I believe this can be explained by the arrector pili muscle. If it hasn’t been completely destroyed and still adheres to the follicle, various modalities can stimulate growth. Unfortunately the tiny little muscle appears to be absent in most DHT sensitive scalp.
These muscles are not needed for all terminal hair though.
These muscles are responsible for goosebumps.
However terminal hair on your face don’t have them. And we know that hair transplants from facial hair to the scalp are able to survive and atleast cosmetically look like terminal facial hair.
Also check out my bullet points at the bottom of the below post:
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/the-arrector-pili-muscle-aka-the-goosebump-muscle/
Admin, I’m paraphrasing a bit, but you state “the arrector pili muscles are destroyed throughout the scalp yet transplants work.” If the damaging effects of DHT are specific to each follicle (and that’s obvious when one considers the random well functioning hair seen in a sea of baldness), and if the destruction of the arrector pili muscle attached to each follicle is part of the DHT damage, then I don’t see why follicles from the back and sides transplanted to the top would bring with them damaged arrector pili. Rather, we would expect a health arrector pili along with the other components of a healthy follicle. Am I missing something? Thanks.
Unfortunately, I have no idea if the Arrector Pili (AP) muscles are brought over fully intact during a transplant. And surgeons never mention looking for these muscles via magnification before extracting the follicle. Would be especially difficult in an FUE transplant.
Even body hair (especially beard hair) grows on the scalp when moved over. I am not sure if body hair has similar nearby arrector pili muscle structures as does scalp hair.
In any event, this issue of the AP muscle is not set in stone. Tons of examples of people who are completely bald in large area suddenly regenerating a lot hair after decades of baldness. And the rate of AP muscle degeneration varies a lot in balding men.
FYI — please post comments related to the AP muscle in the relevant post.
Similar results no matter the (stimulant) treatment capped at 10%ish means there is probably a bottleneck preventing any stimulant style treatment from completely solving the issue. To solve the bottleneck you need understanding of the system or luck.