Update: June 5, 2025
Combining Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Adenosine Triphosphate
Spain-based start-up Ideeea Therapeutics has raised €2.3 million in seed round funding (h/t “Alvaro”). The company’s AGAcell ® preclinical research program entails the treatment of androgenetic alopecia via the intradermal administration of a patented formulation. The latter consists of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (derived from adipose tissue) combined with a “bioactive molecule”.
Note that Dr. Eduardo López Bran (the lead scientist for this treatment) was interviewed on June 1. He is the head of the Dermatology Department at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital. He expects that human clinical trials could begin in 2027 or 2028, with an estimated duration of two years. The current research was conducted successfully in mice.
The bioactive molecule entails adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The combination of adipose derived stem cells and adenosine triphosphate regenerates hair via the regenerative capacity of the former and the cellular energy increase provided by the latter. Note that in 2024, I covered a Taiwanese company that is working on an AMPK activator product to boost ATP levels of human follicle dermal papilla cells. ATP sprays are often used during hair transplant procedures. And laser hair growth device energy also increases production of ATP.
December 26, 2024
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
In 2015, I discussed new hair multiplication related collaborative work between the University of Manitoba (Canada — led by Dr. Malcolm Xing) and Nanfang Hospital Southern Medical University (China). Researchers from the latter recently published two new hair related studies, one of which analyzes the results of Chinese clinical trials involving mesenchymal stem cell injections for hair growth.
Note that hair follicle derived mesenchymal stem cells (HF-MSCs) include both dermal papilla (DP) cells and dermal sheath (DS) cup cells. Mesenchymal stem cells can also be derived from: adult tissues (bone marrow, peripheral blood, adipose/fat and teeth); and neonatal-birth associated tissues (Wharton’s jelly, placenta, cord blood, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid).
In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells have been in the news a lot due to the rising popularity of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes in regenerative medicine applications.
Treating Androgenetic Alopecia with Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injections
Recently, reader “Theo” sent me a link to a new November 2024 study from the Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University. It entails a superior method of isolating human hair follicle dermal papilla cells (DPCs).
More importantly, several of the co-authors of this study also co-authored a September 2024 study titled: “A Clinical Trial of Treating Androgenic Alopecia with Mesenchymal Stem Cell Suspension Derived from Autologous Hair Follicle.” This trial occurred at the Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (China). The link to the actual 50-person trial that ended in 2022 can be seen here.
The results were encouraging, although the increasing hair count and hair thickening effects lasted for just 3 months. Note that at around 7 months, the treated group still had slightly higher terminal hair counts and mean hair diameters compared to when they started out. If this method is improved, a once-a-year injection session is totally fine by me.
“An increased proportion of terminal hair and hair shaft diameter was observed in the experimental group at 1 month. The effect lasted for 3 months. The hair-thickening effect of advanced miniaturized hair follicles with hair shaft diameter less than 60 µm was more notable than that for above 60 µm. No patient experienced any obvious side effects.”
They also include two images showing before and after (3 months) hair growth results. The left side in the below image is the before photos.
Stem Cells and Hair Multiplication
This makes me even more positive about Shiseido’s dermal sheath cup cell hair multiplication procedure that was released in 2024. And perhaps HairClone will finally test its dermal papilla cell injection treatment on humans in the UK in 2025. Also of note, in 2024, Dr. Junji Fukuda of Fukuda Lab announced that “Dermal papilla cell transplantation is about to begin in Japan.“
And several South Korean hair loss companies could test this in humans in 2025 too. In the past, Aderans (Japan) did the same with some success.
Note that similar attempts have been done in animals and humans in the past. Further reading:
- An April 2023 literature review of stem cell applications in human hair growth.
- A March 2023 systemic review on human stem cell use in androgenetic alopecia.
In my 2015 interview with Dr. Xing, he said that he had just returned from a trip to Nanfang Hospital and that:
“A team of more than 10 clinical doctors is working on hair loss in the Department of Plastic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital.”
It is always great to see more hair related research and clinical trials taking place in China. Within East Asia, the country has lagged Japan and South Korea in importance when it comes to hair research.
Well well, I really like this news administrator! This is no longer the future but the present!! I am sure this is the alternative to dutasteride and 100% effective. I need to resolve my personal doubt if after the treatment the treated hair will become resistant to DHT because if so it will be like a cure for many! Many centers are developing the technique, in Spain they are also doing trials, although with animals for now.
As a curiosity, not long ago I contacted Bessam Farjo (Hairclone) and asked him my curiosity mentioned above and he answered that the idea is that yes, the treated hair would become resistant. They plan to start treating the first patients in the fourth quarter of 2025, but you already know how it is…
Thanks for the comments Alvaro! Yeah, HairClone keeps dangling us the carrot every year.
Yes, administrator, it’s always the same… It’s always next year, but the difference is that now Shisheido has already started, and this is not difficult, it is isolating cells and multiplying them and now there are many companies involved and in my opinion I think that this can have results that we could not imagine in terms of effectiveness… It is like performing a complete transplant with 100 hairs, but of course you have to preserve the roots of those hairs… Thank you for your work administrator!!
Attached is the link to the research in Spain: https://www.comunidad.madrid/hospital/clinicosancarlos/noticia/dermatologos-hospital-publico-clinico-san-carlos-investigan-tratamiento-alopecia-androgenetica
Thanks!
I don’t understand. Even if MSCs can be potentially used in a therapy to treat hair loss, it is no where near close to being approved for clinical use for any our timelines. Unfortunately, as much as I wish this was not the case, there are no imminent treatments (forget cure) coming down the pipeline.
Already available in Japan with Shiseido (and Fukuda soon). Just move there lol. They need more citizens anyway.
No where does it say that it’s already available in Japan? And if it was available in Japan and offered as a clinically significant treatment to hair loss, I’d suspect it would be news everywhere.
It’s better not to answer you… Yoyo is right sometimes.
Well, I’m sorry for stating the obvious. Evidence based research and analysis is your friend. Blind faith optimism is not.
Well don’t I feel better huh
Stop trolling Sam.
Shiseido’s new treatment has been discussed here for months. It is even mentioned by Admin in this very post lol. Stop faking ignorance.
Sam is right though. Shiseido’s treatment barely had any efficacy so better forget about it.
He said that it was not already available in Japan. Which is incorrect.
As far as efficacy, I am optimistic that the Shiseido method will regenerate some hairs that Dutasteride or Finasteride do not.
For all of these treatments, the key phrase is “synergistic effect.”
I have to agree with Sam, as much as I’m hoping this can develop into something substantial its clearly not there yet otherwise we’d all be jetting off to Japan with me first! I’m a NW6 but I still have the majority of my hair from what I can tell its just miniaturised, even still pigmented but wont grow longer than 2-3mm max and the hair diamenter is tiny. So I’m optimistic a treatment like this could have great results for me but theres no point in not being realistic. I hope by 2030 theres treatment options available finaateride gave me horrible sides.
This treatment (even after further 2022-2025 improvements) and Sheseido’s treatment will almost certainly not benefit Norwood 6 patients in any significant manner :-(
I am excited about Shiseido’s decade plus tested treatment (now in the market in Japan) for those who still have at least half their scalp covered with hair. Same with what Fukuda tests in humans in 2025 (or already started in 2024).
Even if it doesn’t work for a Norwood 6 to bring all hair back wouldn’t it still help bring it back a formidable degree?
Hi Admin, which year do you think hair regeneration will become commercially available? Thank you.
I asked ChatGPT this question. Here was the response:
“Realistically, a complete “cure” for all forms of hair loss might still be decades away, depending on the type (genetic, autoimmune, etc.). However, within the next 5-10 years, we may see significant improvements in treatments, particularly for reversible or non-genetic types of hair loss.“
If I had to guess, I’d say 2040 at the earliest.
ChatGPT:
Estimating a specific year for curing hair loss is speculative, but based on current advancements and the pace of medical research, a practical “cure” for most forms of hair loss might be achievable within the next 20–30 years (2040–2050). Here’s why:
Short-Term (5–10 Years):
• Improved Treatments: Better medications (e.g., JAK inhibitors, WNT modulators) and refinements in existing procedures (like FUE transplants) will become more accessible.
• Stem Cell Therapies: Early-stage clinical trials might lead to commercial applications for regenerating hair follicles.
Medium-Term (10–20 Years):
• Hair Cloning: Scalable solutions for follicle cloning and implantation could become available, offering a breakthrough for irreversible hair loss.
• Genetic Solutions: CRISPR or other gene-editing techniques might address genetic predispositions like androgen sensitivity.
Long-Term (20–30 Years):
• Complete Regeneration: Advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine may enable the regeneration of hair follicles from scratch, offering a true cure for most forms of hair loss.
Of course, this timeline depends on continued funding, regulatory approval processes, and overcoming biological challenges. Unexpected breakthroughs could accelerate progress, but systemic barriers like cost and accessibility may delay widespread availability.
Sam and Tom are you the same person? I understand that if you do not understand the mechanism of alopecia, you are not enthusiastic about progress of this style, you will probably prefer to take finasteride and minoxidil. Obviously it is not a cure with NW6 who has lost most of his hair, but if you do not understand the mechanism of this therapy it is like talking against a wall.
Tom has been commenting for a year. Sam seems new.
Someone else made two lengthy comments yesterday, ending each one by saying that there will be no cure this century. I disapproved both comments.
In 11 years of writing this blog, I still have no idea why anyone would visit this site regularly while thinking there will be no cure this century. Most are trolls, but some could be legit.
https://replicel.com/news/reschedule-meeting-supplemental-disclosure-for-transaction-involving-the-sale-of-assets-and-board-update
The creation of this biotechnology startup corresponds to the main research in Spain involving mesenchymal cells extracted from adipose tissue injected with an ATP molecule (referred to in the news as a bioactive compound). It is expected to be commercially available in 2027-2028.
Thanks Alvaro!
Unfortunately, they will only start human trials in 2027 or 2028. But still interesting.
That’s true, administrator, I realized it when I reread the text. They plan to begin human trials in 2027-2028, and the trials will last two years, so it would be commercialized in 2029-2030.
Wonder if they mean commercially available or start clinical trails.
https://isanidad.com/332159/primera-terapia-con-celulas-madre-mesenquimales-eficaz-en-un-modelo-experimental-de-alopecia-androgenica/
It’s a long timeframe for multiplying cells and injecting them; hopefully, we can receive treatment from another company before 2030. I know Dr. Lopez Bran well, since I had a hair transplant at his clinic four years ago, and I don’t doubt his timescale for this therapy. However, in the interview, he says it has to be affordable and prove more effective than current treatments. This isn’t the case, because if you have completely bald areas, it won’t be more effective than a hair transplant. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy aims to regenerate lost dermal papilla cells, since these cells transform into other types of cells. However, in my opinion, the Shisheido technique is more effective since it directly multiplies resistant dermal papilla cells from the donor area. By injecting mesenchymal stem cells, they will regenerate the hair, but it will eventually fall out anyway. Do you understand me?
Dr. Lopez Bran is going the allogeneic route (i.e., getting the cells from other likely young donors).
Shiseido uses your own cells (autologous).
To be honest, the only reason I updated this post is because of Mr. Lopez Bran’s reputation. I am more interested in the work from China (bottom two-thirds of this post).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/06/12/we-can-cure-baldness-claim-scientists/
I f* hate the „5 years away“-jokes, but…
Does Europe or the UK or something not have a much less time intensive clinical trial set up where timelines like these are somewhat more based in reality?
In my country (Spain), it’s been in the media. I have to say these media outlets are crazy about clicks.
I’ve read that it’s based on stem cells and adenosine triphosphate.
Ideeea Therapeutics website is now live. Updated in the post.
I have no clue who‘s this supposed to be:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06764329?cond=Androgenetic%20Alopecia&rank=2
No company mentioned.
Hopefully bringing some good results on the table. Using mesenchymal stem cells to support the DP cells where they are failing looks like a quite straightforward way to restore the DP function but it also looks quite similar to what Shiseido is already doing in Japan with S-DSC ( also covered in this forum at https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/shiseido-dsc-hair-multiplication-is-here ), not sure about the real results so far…
If it’s been done already, I would be curious about studies where healthy differentiated DP cells are injected right into the dermal papilla of sick follicles just at the core of the disease.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, Jack Pep! Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to transform into any type of cell in the body they are incorporated into. They can be obtained from multiple tissues, such as adipose, bone, etc. Therefore, if these cells are injected into miniaturized hairs, those cells will convert into the cells affected or destroyed by DHT, regenerating the hair. However, those regenerated hairs will have the same genetic characteristics they had before, so they will miniaturize again, and the treatment would have to be repeated infinitely. The Shiseido, Epibiotech, or Hairclone treatments directly multiply the cells destroyed by the action of DHT, which are the cells of the dermal papilla. The multiplied cells are collected from the donor area immune to DHT. With successive injections, this treatment is almost like a cure in terms of hair preservation. That’s my opinion.
“Male mice achieved the best hair regrowth when they received low-dose ASCs combined with an energy-boosting molecule called adenosine triphosphate.”
https://www.foxnews.com/health/new-stem-cell-therapy-shows-remarkable-success-treating-hair-loss-preclinical-trials
I really should have broken out that Spain story in a separate post!
In any case, per Google AI: