Yet another new company in South Korea called KeraMedix (or Keramedics) is set to begin hair growth related clinical trials. They applied for approval today and this process usually takes one month in South Korea. They will inject keratin into human scalps in order to grow thicker, stronger and denser hair.
KeraMedics Keratin Injections
Around 95% of our scalp hair is made up of keratin protein. This makes human hair so strong, that it can be indestructible for centuries. Human nails are also primarily made up of keratin.
A number of hair thickening shampoos and hair loss concealers contain keratin as a key ingredient. However, this type of usage is a very basic attempt. The approach by KeraMedix is much more scientific and well researched.
Earlier today, KeraMedix announced that it had applied to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial (IND) for its innovative new drug HK1. This drug is an injectable form of keratin.
This clinical trial will be conducted at the Department of Dermatology at Chung-Ang University Hospital (Seoul). It will enable the evaluation of the safety and tolerability of HK1 in 24 healthy Korean and Caucasian adults.
HK1 induces hair growth and suppresses additional hair loss by injecting thinning areas of the scalp with keratin.
In experiments, when human cells were treated with HK1, two things happened:
- Aggregation of epidermal blast cells involved in hair growth.
- Aggregation of dermal papilla cells.
Perhaps of most significance, the scientists involved in this work published a paper in Nature in November 2022. It was titled:
Keratin-mediated hair growth and its underlying biological mechanism.
In animal experiments using mice, a higher hair growth effect was seen in the group injected with keratin compared to the group treated with topical minoxidil (every day for 28 days). The before and after image of these mice can be seen at the top of this post. More images and information can be found on KeraMedix’s website.
Keratin Microspheres
On a related note, in February 2024, a new Japanese paper was published in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials. It is titled “Keratin Microspheres as Promising Tool for Targeting Follicular Growth.”
The researchers involved are from the University of Tsukuba (Japan). Check out their summary page on the effect of keratin microsphere gel on hair growth in mice.
In this study, the topical application of a water-soluble oxidized keratin gel (keratin microsphere gel) on mice:
“Significantly enhanced cell proliferation and the expression of genes associated with hair growth in the papilla cells of hair follicles, thereby stimulating hair development.”
The microspheres successfully penetrated the epidermis to reach the dermal papilla cells. Thereafter, they activated the key markers associated with hair growth.
