I first covered UK-based HairClone in 2016. Later in the same year, HairClone’s very friendly CEO Dr. Paul Kemp kindly answered a number of reader questions.
Although Dr. Kemp has since been in touch with me, I am reluctant to write more frequent posts on HairClone. I do not want to repeat follicle banking related news unless there is a groundbreaking development in actual hair multiplication. Dr. Kemp was formerly the CEO of Intercytex. I hope that he uses his past experiences to prevent another disappointment for us hair loss sufferers.
Update: May 21, 2021
HairClone, Claire Higgins and Hair Research PhD
HairClone and Dr. Claire Higgins are partnering to sponsor one PhD student for a hair research related opportunity at Imperial College London. A stipend of 18,000 British Pounds will be provided and the program begins in the 2021/2022 year. Besides Dr. Higgins, the student will also be mentored by Dr. Sylvain Ladame.
According to the announcement, this “advanced therapeutics” related research will consist of two parts:
- Develop a microneedle device for the delivery of reprogrammed dermal papilla cells to miniaturized alopecic hair follicles.
- Use in-depth computational analysis and in vitro hair follicle modeling. The purpose of this will be to understand the mode of action by which papilla cells rejuvenate hair follicles. And in the process, reverse androgenetic alopecia (aka male pattern baldness).
While it is great to see this initiative, it also means that the actual hair multiplication (or cloning) is still a few years away. In any event, I am glad that HairClone is still focusing on an ultimate goal beyond hair follicle banking.
August 4, 2019
HairClone Begins Follicle Banking
It seems like HairClone has not disbanded or gone silent, but is moving forward full steam. The company is starting its follicle banking service after earlier this week getting UK government approval. In fact the company will be the world’s first ever hair follicle banking system. Press release: follicle banking.
Edit: In May 2021, a South Korean company named Han Bio also supposedly started hair follicle banking services.
The logic behind banking your currently healthy hair follicles is similar to the logic behind banking young sperm, of your young eggs, or even newborn umbilical cord blood banking.
Banking at the earliest opportunity “stops the clock” on young hair follicles from ageing. The dermal papilla cells will then theoretically be more active and “youthful” when the hair multiplication technology is available in future.
Both males and females over age 18 will be able to have around 50 follicle units extracted, cryopreserved and stored for future use (when hair multiplication or cloning type treatments are available). Cryopreservation and storage of hair follicles at -150C essentially “stops the clock” when it comes to further hair loss, thinning or miniaturization.
Dr. Paul Kemp’s Recent E-mail
Dear HLC2020 Admin,
It has been some months since we last chatted, but I just wanted to let you know that we have been working hard. We have now been authorized by the UK’s Human Tissue Authority (HTA) to begin to bank cryopreserved follicles. In order to gain this approval, we had to carry out extensive validation studies to show that we could:
- Reproducibly extract human follicles.
- Cryopreserve them.
- Ship, test and thaw the follicles.
- Extract viable cells that could be culture expanded.
We first submitted the license application in January and then there were a series of questions. Some of these needed additional work, but the end result is an incredibly well understood robust process.
The HTA stress that this does not authorize or approve treatment and gaining that approval is the next stage in our strategy. We are all set to develop the GMP validation data for culture expanded follicle cells and just need to raise the funds to do so. As you know, we tried to do this through crowdfunding, but unfortunately weren’t successful. So we are looking at alternative funding sources. This has given a significant delay to our original timelines.
Banking will be available through our clinical partners and banking associates who will be licensed procurement centers and we plan to increase the number of these partners and associates over the coming months.
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation and follicle banking is just the first step in the process. Important elements to note are:
- It will be available to both men and women.
- Banking will allow multiple treatments from one initial surgery.
- Banking at the earliest possible stage “stops the clock” on further ageing of the cells.
- Since patients with banked follicles have already undergone the surgery step, they will be first in line for cell expansion when treatments are authorized.
- The follicles remain the property of the patient so could be used in other cell based treatments if the patient chooes so down the road.
The next stage is to work with our clinical partners to develop a system to rebuild miniaturizing follicles. Follicular neogenesis is also an interest of ours. We are carrying out some work on this, but our first goal will be to rescue a patient’s natural hairs. As all patients are unique, we envision that this could also be used in the future in combination with hair transplants.
I have attached a press release that provides more information and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.
Paul Kemp PhD
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Director
www.HairClone.me
@HairClone
#HairClone
Fees for cellular banking costs £ 2000 initially and £ 100 per year
So basically one has to fly to UK get your hair plucked and stored? Unless my tired eyes missed something.
What’s scary is an airplane company on Facebook ads….got over 300k of crowd raising for stock in a month on social media lol. Over 3 million in 2 months with outside facebook. The point is ppl don’t have to know about airplanes…but if they know a small risk they are willing to lose can have a huge benefit/reward..they will risk.
I like the idea, if it even would work. Cryo is an unknown. If Tsuji himself thought this could be a benefit etc…then bam. However, not sure about this. As a nw 2.5.. tbh if something gave 20-30% regrowth without sides…I can ride 7-8 years. I know most wouldn’t view that as a cure…I get that if you’re nw 5 or 6. I do. I personally only took fin every other day for 1 month…and just my brain in cardiovascular class wasn’t as sharp. I couldn’t figure it out. A’s in Pharmacology…every bio science like advance physiology, Human growth and development, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, physics, nuclear chemistry, etc. I was thinking at that time wtf? I tutored nurses for grad school. I only deduced it was finasteride because that was the only variable. No sexual horror stories etc…
I do wonder at times if I should take fin. A 2.5 nw.. diffuser….within 4 years…below 35. Idk.
On topic, I think the company needs a supportive voice of if this will work. As evidence by their raising capital. Nonetheless, not a lead to a cure, but preservation in hopes of future tech. We have had worse news lol.
P.S on Jaks. I got ripped for it a year ago, by a user, forget who ..it’s ok…however, I don’t see it for AGA. Jaks are used for rheumatoid arthritis. #1. #2…it has a black box warning in drug medical hand books. I know from clinicals in surgical rotation. I cannot think of a prescriber who would give a Jak inhibitor w a black label warning for, “Cosmetic”, purpose. #3…for those comparing AA to AGA. AA is viewed as a disorder/disease. Notice a trend with medications that get backed for diseases or disorders. View Viagra…for a dysfunction….so clinically easier to back. Well as long as AGA is a “Cosmetic”, issue. Tell me…would anyone risk their license and years of college debt and study to prescribe a Jak inhibitor for a cosmetic issue? Although, cosmetic is a loose term bc hair loss can cause anxiety, depression, insomnia etc…which are indirectly disorders. I am NOT replacing medical advise, but until AGA gets a public opinion beyond cosmetic….then I can’t see Jak( pun intended ). Great for AA though.
If there is a safer delivery of Jak and it works…I hope what I wrote is wrong.
I think I’ll risk being in line a little longer they wont be cloning whole hair follicles just cells so this isnt complete deal for anyone above a nw3 you’ll have to supplement with hair transplant anyway and I’ve seen no proof of efficacy.
I live in the UK and I have the money, but I won’t be doing this.
We, gay guyz, aren’t usually that stupid.
Damn right!
For all you veteran hair loss sufferers aka Yoda. This is not new advancement. There was a company based in Seattle back in like 2004 I believe. They opened a cry service to freeze men’s hair for future cloning. It got a lot of awareness, even in the news. I don’t think many people did it because it was weird and it was very expensive. 15 years later we are repeating the same thing but now this hair clone company is progressing to be the ones to clone the hair or whatever…..I don’t know…any company coming to a hair loss site to raise money sounds desperate. I hope I’m wrong about a lot of my assumptions but I’m usually right unfortunately. We need something that give 20 to 30% density like the commenter said above . This circle of bs is getting very old.
And on top of that, claiming that for 200K they could not launch the service is indeed a lame excuse to cover the fact that they do not have any working treatment. I mean how is it possible that they are not able to get 200K, even if they have to walk in any banks and provide some warranties from the direct shareholders would be a 10 mins job. The reality is that freezing cells is a very easy job but delivering a working treatment is totally different one, anyone can guess what is their real business model.
Yes sir bang on the money. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
Mjones you get Five Stars on that Post.
I was just wondering if any of you guys could give me pointers on where to buy finasteride online; would like to know it is from a good company. Thanks!
Do not use finasteride! I took it and three years later I still suffer side effects. I’m a shell of what I once was and can’t even feel the emotion of love. I wish someone told me what I’m telling you. It’s not one per cent that suffer side effects, it’s much more and permanent side effects are more common than you think. Go to propecia help. Anyway you can make your own decisions I just thought I would try and warn you. Best of luck.
I haven’t had any significant sides on fin. Although Dut has worked better. Of late, fin is no longer working. Maybe, I ought to up the dose as I am diffuse thinning again post recovery.
Administrator, have you read about Tsuji and 10 years for marketing?
https://lexus-on-the-head.tokyo/2019/07/25/hair-regeneration/
Guys are freaking out at HLT over a hair transplant shill’s claims about Tsuji …
Poor lads!
Oh man it looks like in that broken broken English translation there is a conversation between two Japanese forum users that retrieved a maybe interview with sagumi organ technologies saying that it’s going to be 10 times more expensive and available to the public in ten years only available next year for rich entertainers etc because organ cultivation is expensive.
HatedaBS are you sure this is a transplant surgeon throwing shade it sounds legit.
It’d have been believable if he hadn’t ended the convo with urging peeps to get hair transplants.
He’s obviously a shill and people are going nuts for no reason.
Oh, well, people at HLT ain’t the brightest.
if it’s available to entertainers for an exorbitant fee, that’s still better news than it not being possible to do.
This guy claims drinking his own urine made his hair grow back. I know it sounds crazy and should not be taken seriously but since its hair related I wanted to share it with you.
Link: https://www.unilad.co.uk/life/man-claims-drinking-pee-made-his-hair-grow-back/?source=facebook
Apologies, but I don’t see any value in this whatsoever. Even the most severely bald heads still have at least 50 dht resistant follicles growing until age 100. There are nearly always follicles to extract and clone at the time the cure arrives. I don’t know what it is they think they’re selling, but it’s pointless to me.
I thought that too. Is this on hopes to fund part two? Although that may never arrive? Technically by banking your hair they have fulfilled their part and really with the other players where they are at and the funding behind them these guys are way off.
No, their idea is valid.
Your 25-year-old stem cells are of higher quality than your 45-year-old stem cells.
What’s fishy about them is that they can’t get proper funding.
Haha.. For someone who hates the BS.. well.. You can figure out the rest. It sounded good, though.
If you hate the BS, then you should hate this hair follicle freezing company. Money making scams piss me off to no end.
No one will ever be thankful that they froze their follicles for a low low price. A real cure will steamroll over their younger follicles Lol.
On a more serious note, by the time a treatment comes out to utilise your stem cells for this and other things, they will be able to use stem cells of other people anyway. Freezing your own would then be a redundant technology.
I don’t understand what’s the advantage of having your hairs plucked and stored now instead of in 10 years or whenever it’s ready. I mean you’d still have hairs to use just not from the crown/front area so what’s the difference? It seems to me just a way to raise money in advance like Tesla was doing where customers could pay 1000$ for the right to order a car when it’s ready. Am I Missing something?
Your 45-year-old hair is of lower quality than your 25-year-old hair.
Storing stem cells from a young age could actually be very beneficial, but they couldn’t get proper funding, which is a red flag pour moi.
Has anyone seen this? Thoughts?
https://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/comments/cmsp8h/depressing_news_on_tsuji/
I’d recommend waiting for an official announcement from Dr. Tsuji. A lot of rumours have been spread lately, but none of them confirmed. Let’s hope for the best. In Tsuji we trust.
Even considering the exorbitant price this would be it. Like once the cat is out of the bag there is no turning back so i would pray this is true.. Use up those excess grafts now knowing that in a few years you can replace them :)
@Andy But if the stuff the guy said in that video is true then balding will very soon become a choice. All prices drop overtime. It’s the matter that something like this exists and will be available (if the video is correct) that really counts. But yeah, an official announcement would be best from RIKEN. Video says that they’ll make an announcement in late 2019. Only time will tell but hey that video at least warmed many of our hearts.
@Paul, that’s a huge price range. I’d be interested to see the rationale behind doubling the price to almost $400k. Also, will this technically be available to anyone who can afford it or will they ONLY take Asian patients. Hopefully Tsuji sets the record straight and dispels rumors.
Yeah, the price (well, potential price) is far from ideal. But I am far more interested in finding out 1) Does it actually work? 2) Will it be available to people outside Japan?
If a proper, legitimate cure exists, I would be ecstatic. Beyond ecstatic. I’m sure many, many people would. To me, that would be life changing. If I had to get a huge loan, or a couple of huge loans, I would be okay with that. If money is the only thing standing in the way of fixing your hair, that is a much better situation than not having the option at all.
Any idea when we will hear from Tsuji?
Thanks.
umm this could be in Yen not USD, chill people.
Here is the gist : we have failed to sell you a real treatment or cure but we still have some very high quality labs to just give up, so we can store start a new service called : we can store your follicle !!
What a lame way to convince even the most idiot kid
Fully agree with you ali, I am really wondering who are those guys falling on this. The weakest proposition I have seen in years, they should really think that hairloss sufferers are a such a bunch of idiots ( and unfortunately some people are so desperate that are really buying whatever cheap talk they are selling them) that are going to pay money for something that maybe in the future is going to be released and for which no evidence has been provided.. we are really touching the bottom
There is no utility in banking.
Pattern hair loss is not a hair “aging” problem, it’s a hair DHT sensitivity problem.
The hair on the back of our scalps is perfect for cloning and transplanting when this tech becomes available.
Banking adds nothing.
@Guest99 If it were in Yen, that would be between $1,500-$3,000 USD. Sounds a bit low. I think the sweet spot to make sense for the company and consumers would be $50k USD. But many would gladly pay 6 figures to get their hair back, me included.
Admin, what do you think of that Tsuji interview video? You think it’s real?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCcF5lBo0hY
Company is behind tsuji , stemson , and the new one (from that university).
They jusy trying to understand while other already excutue.
Sorry but this is highly disappointing, one student starting a study worth 18.000 GBP? Development of a delivery device?
Jesus, how embarrassing.
They should have figured those things out years ago. What have they done with their Corona-Funds (700.000 €) in the past year?
HairClone is dead, that’s certain.
I’m generally optimistic about new treatments, but when it comes to hairclone I just can’t take them seriously. “Hey give us a couple grands to bank ur follicles because maybe, someday, we might be able to clone hair, but maybe not”. C’mon man.
Same here lol, Stemson, Yokahama, Aneira, Kintor, Cassiopea, OliX all of these I’m excited for. Hairclone, Replicel, Follicum etc in my opinion are nonsense.
Hey guys, a cure for baldness would be too big a revolution, something to compare to discovering an eternal youth pill and unfortunately I can’t see it around the corner:/
I never had faith in hairclone anyway. They always seemed like a joke to me. So this is no surprise. We’re down to just a few “real” players now.
What a joke. Once this company mentioned hair banking I knew right there they were money hungry. Now they are studying microneedling on miniaturized hair hahahaha. They should just Google reddit dermastamp results and they can save time on this study lol. Looks like all of us and several people on reddit already did this study on themselves plus follica, dhurat, Korea etc. HairClone just leave and stop playing with our emotions…..come out with a real cure or just stop.
Hairclone sucks. And I don’t like how these hair transplants doctors are partnering with them. hair transplant doctors need to be partnering with stemson and unless they are only partnering with them for the follicle banking part and not the rejuvenation part that’s fine but the rejuvenation part will most likely give tiny to no results I don’t think that its not going to be amazing it will just be like replicel. This is definitely a company not to hold your breath for
@woofy97 Dude isnt Stemsons suppose to start human trials this year? Does anyone know whats going on with that and also what do you think of dr junji fukuda starting human trials in 2023 for hair cloning isn’t that like too good to be true? And how does that make Dr tsuji look if he was already supposed to be out with it in 2020 and now he’s selling shampoo! But anyways your thoughts and opinions on all this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
HairClown. I’ll give them some hair to bank, but it won’t be from my noggin. Hope the poor student receives a nice white lab coat ontop of his 18K, bc that’s all he’s gonna get from studying hole punchers.
I dont understand the hatred for Hairclone on this blog. They’re not the biggest player out there but Paul Kemp has always been transparent and honest during his interviews about their proposals and timeline. He’s been very clear that they first intend to develop a cell therapy using cultured DP cells that can be used on patients under the UKs ‘specials’ provisions. Its always been clear that the hair banking was a way to fund the opening of their GMP approved facility in which they will be allowed to culture the cells. Plus the logic of banking 100 follicles means that they only have to extract your hairs once and any time you need additional treatment you they just use your banked hairs. Otherwise everytime you wanted further injections you’d have to go have some hair extracted, wait 8 weeks for the cells to be cultured and multiplied and then go back for treatment.
No its not they same as replicel, they use DSC cells. Yes intercytex and aderans failed but the belief being that the multiplied DP cells lost ‘inductivity’ and therefore their regenerative ability during the culturing process. Hairclones whole research focus has been primarily on maintaining the inductivity of their cultured cells to establish a protocol which to scale up. The PHD placement is to work on understanding the biological mechanism that re-injected DP cells assimilate into the targeted hair follicle and the refining of a delivery device to enhance this.
Paul Kemp has always said that they dont want VC funding as it creates pressure to produce results and increases the liklehood of them failing. The UKs specials provisions allows them to treat patients bespoke on a case by case basis and learn from those results, avoiding the conventional trials process which is costly and rigid.
The cloning of follicles is not the only cure, a method of successfully maintaining existing hair is also required and some believe replacing the dysfunctional DP cell population in miniaturisating follicles is effectively a cure.
I agree that Mr. Kemp has never overpromised and he seems like an honest guy. The funny thing is Han Bio (South Korea) is also banking follicles, and almost no-one complained about them in my recent post on that company.
Generally I think he has tried to manage expectations appropriately. I believe they are still hoping to begin offering their cell treatment this year so lets see. Are Han Bio also going down the DP cell route?
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/han-bio-hair-multiplication-via-dermal-papilla-cells/
Does it necessarily mean that there won’t be any progress in this year? I thought I read somewhere that they would offer their expansion service to a few doctors this year before any trials… just to see how it turns out… the new delivery thing might be for the masses later on.
Either way this whole story sounds so fishy, like honestly, hiring a PhD student is the cheapest way possible, they earn zero, nada, nothing, its their PhD in return, while HairClone…Ahhh. I bet these 18,000 pounds are even completely funded by the Imperial College London.
Dr. Paul Kemp, we need answers. Point blank. Who in their right mind would bank their hair follicles right now, just to know that there might be some student (!) that works on the delivery service :D (like haha, but not in a good way).
@hopelust. Thank you exactly this is a joke we are about to be on mars and were eating cloned meat and we already know the cell function of human hair and we have quantum computing now, give me a break.
I’m only optimistic about Kintor, that’s it, Kintor.
Will tsuji be able to get funding by this year?
Yeah whats happening to he’s crowd funding hows that going for him and has anyone tried he’s shampoo yet?
Only if we set up a HairAid concert. Otherwise, I’m not so sure…?
@summykim Great idea !
I don’t see a need to bank hair. That’s why they look like a joke. Why would anyone? I bet 99.9% will have follicles to clone when the time comes (from the sides), so why pay someone to bank them now? Come on. Most in the game say they only need a few and can clone from there. Nobody is going to pay to have them bank or save their hair to clone later (when later could take decades). Just figure out how clone and deliver. All the other nonsense is just that.
And I have nothing against them personally. I can’t take anyone trying to convince me to pay for hair banking seriously. It’s like a bad infomercial. Or a car salesman trying to tell me another guy that works there really wants the car I want so they can’t go any lower but they’ll throw in an air freshener for free.
So buzz me if i misunderstood.. we go there and freeze our hair until the cloning option is available right?
I mean my dht resistant hair will stay with me and non dht resistant ones will be gone anyways right? what is the point of preserving non dht hair if we know they are meant for shedding anyways?
The best news this year so far is fda approved verteporfin if this works on a NW7 for 3 or more hair transplants on his donor area we have the cure. Hopefully it works 100% but (that may not be possible) but who knows and does not lose effectiveness from multiple uses.
My understanding is it’s been approved for decades but not for hair. Also, it hasn’t been tested on people yet, has it? Last I heard mice only. So I’m still skeptical.
Dear admin, any idea what riken latest tweet is about?
Anyone have diffuse thinning everywhere even in the donor area? Is this incredibly unusual?
I have been on rogaine and even avodart for years with no success. Ironically I added Nizoral consistently and this cut the shedding in half already so I’m not sure what that means.
I have no doubt there must be an AGA male latter on loss occurring but I suspect something else is also compounding this.
I have slight thinning on my sides and back, severe diffuse thinning on top.. pure hell, I’m terrified cloning wont be an option for me..
Stemson and tsuji are only legit cures and tsuji has become questionable. The list has shrunk.
James1 these are not my words but you might this interesting. “FDA approved and could be used off-label almost immediately; either as soon as a pioneering doctor tests it on himself/friend or as soon as a phase 1 human trial happens. Then the safety/efficacy will be shown and other doctors could then use it off-label with peace of mind. It’s all but guaranteed to show a definitive answer within 1 year.”
Very interesting, Woofy. Thanks for sharing. I guess if it’s approved period, it can be used on other things maybe – like hair. Just have to get it tested and tried. Definitely could be a game changer, especially if it’s 100% regrowth. Or even close. One could get multiple HTs. Which really is a cure (a costly one, but still).
How is tissuse going to be out with hair cloning in 2024 when they have no proof of concept nothing how are they getting 2024 as a release date? Can someone please explain to me.
Marc tissuse isnt coming out in 2024 lol. Maybe 2034 if the trials work and things go as planned. People on here need to learn to not be gullible and be realistic. It will be good for your mental status. I am optimistic that a new treatment will be out by 2024 though. Follica, sm or something that will grow hair.
No worries guys we still got Thorn medical.. they said three to five years
Admin, any word if they are still on track to release their dermal papilla injection treatment the end of this year??
Have not heard anything recently :-(
Hi,
I had a quick question I was wondering if you could pose to hairclone. Essentially, when the donor area isn’t thick enough is it possible to use body follicles and convert then to terminal hairs using the hair clone tech?
Thanks.
Hi admin,
I also have the same question as J, since some people have miniaturization in the back and the sides of the scalp.
So how can they know if the follicles which they extract would be DHT resistant?
Hi Admin,
Do you have an update for HairClone?
I heard in an interview with Paul Kemp since around October, they are looking to launch their treatment in the UK early 2022.
Dr. Kemp was willing to do another interview with me earlier this year, but ultimately we decided to postpone until they update us in 2022.