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Hair cloning may help cure premature baldness

05.06.2008 in HAIR LOSS SCIENCE

For people worried about their premature hair loss, scientists have pioneered a technique that would help provide a cure – hair cloning.

The new technique, known as follicular cell implantation works by replicating remaining hair strands and would eventually help millions of people to regain a full head of their own hair. It can potentially re-grow a limitless supply hair for individuals who have become bald during cancer treatment, from suffering severe burns, or simply the onset of age, reports the Telegraph

The cell therapy, during clinical trials, increased hair count in at least two thirds of patients after six months, and four out of five if the scalp is stimulated beforehand through gentle abrasions, which encourage hair growth.

The new technique is a breakthrough in hair restoration and has been granted 1.9 million pounds by the government. The procedure is being developed by Intercytex, a British company based in Manchester.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

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Lab-grown cells "cure baldness"

03.06.2008 in HAIR LOSS SCIENCE

Remaining hair cells are multiplied to fill bald areas Cells grown in the laboratory may offer a possible solution to hair loss, preliminary trials have suggested.

The technique involves taking small amounts of the remaining hair cells, multiplying them, then injecting them into bald areas.

Six months after treatment, 11 out of 19 patients had grown new hair, UK researchers told an Italian conference.

However, a UK specialist said further work would be needed so that the new hair looked right.

“It will revolutionise hair care, I think”

Dr Paul Kemp, Intercytex

Hair loss affects two-fifths of men over 50, and can be a long-term problem for some people following radiotherapy or burns.

Currently available methods of hair transplantation involve taking large clumps of remaining follicles under local anaesthetic and moving them to the desired area, a technique dependent on the amount of hair left, as no new hair is created.

The new method, called “follicular cell implantation”, developed by UK firm Intercytex, claims to be able to provide a limitless supply of replacement hair cells, and, if other trials show it to be safe and effective, could be available within five years.

Doctors take only the dermal papilla cells – cells found in the follicle which are responsible for hair growth.

They are harvested from areas on the back of the head, which usually still have hair growth, and then bathed in a specially-developed chemical in the laboratory, before being placed back into bald areas of the scalp.

The early results suggest that most patients appear to benefit after just a few months, although the numbers involved in the trial are relatively small.

Dr Paul Kemp, Intercytex’s Scientific Officer, said that the presence of the dermal papilla cells encouraged skin cells to start building a brand new hair follicle, or rejuvenated follicles which have stopped producing hair properly.

He said: “It will revolutionise hair care, I think. People will use this when they are starting to go bald – they’ll come and see us, we’ll take a few dermal papilla cells, grow them up in the lab, freeze most of them, and inject some.

“They can keep coming back as the balding process continues. I’m convinced it will work, it’s just a question of fine-tuning the technique.”

Other organs

He said that the same principles could one day be harnessed to grow replacement teeth, or other organs.

“Every hair is a tiny little organ, after all.”

Professor Val Randall, from the University of Bradford, said that the progress made was “exciting”.

She said: “To get anything growing at all is a real achievement, although it will be difficult to make the hair come back in the right way, pointing in the right direction, with the hair follicles lined up the right way.”

Dr Andrew Messenger, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, said that if new hair follicles had been produced, then it would constitute an advance.

However, he added: “We don’t yet know for certain whether these are new hair follicles, and it’s actually quite hard to prove that they are, not just the result of rubbing on the scalp or another effect.”

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7431092.stm

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Lab-grown cells “cure baldness”

03.06.2008 in HAIR LOSS SCIENCE

Remaining hair cells are multiplied to fill bald areas Cells grown in the laboratory may offer a possible solution to hair loss, preliminary trials have suggested.

The technique involves taking small amounts of the remaining hair cells, multiplying them, then injecting them into bald areas.

Six months after treatment, 11 out of 19 patients had grown new hair, UK researchers told an Italian conference.

However, a UK specialist said further work would be needed so that the new hair looked right.

“It will revolutionise hair care, I think”

Dr Paul Kemp, Intercytex

Hair loss affects two-fifths of men over 50, and can be a long-term problem for some people following radiotherapy or burns.

Currently available methods of hair transplantation involve taking large clumps of remaining follicles under local anaesthetic and moving them to the desired area, a technique dependent on the amount of hair left, as no new hair is created.

The new method, called “follicular cell implantation”, developed by UK firm Intercytex, claims to be able to provide a limitless supply of replacement hair cells, and, if other trials show it to be safe and effective, could be available within five years.

Doctors take only the dermal papilla cells – cells found in the follicle which are responsible for hair growth.

They are harvested from areas on the back of the head, which usually still have hair growth, and then bathed in a specially-developed chemical in the laboratory, before being placed back into bald areas of the scalp.

The early results suggest that most patients appear to benefit after just a few months, although the numbers involved in the trial are relatively small.

Dr Paul Kemp, Intercytex’s Scientific Officer, said that the presence of the dermal papilla cells encouraged skin cells to start building a brand new hair follicle, or rejuvenated follicles which have stopped producing hair properly.

He said: “It will revolutionise hair care, I think. People will use this when they are starting to go bald – they’ll come and see us, we’ll take a few dermal papilla cells, grow them up in the lab, freeze most of them, and inject some.

“They can keep coming back as the balding process continues. I’m convinced it will work, it’s just a question of fine-tuning the technique.”

Other organs

He said that the same principles could one day be harnessed to grow replacement teeth, or other organs.

“Every hair is a tiny little organ, after all.”

Professor Val Randall, from the University of Bradford, said that the progress made was “exciting”.

She said: “To get anything growing at all is a real achievement, although it will be difficult to make the hair come back in the right way, pointing in the right direction, with the hair follicles lined up the right way.”

Dr Andrew Messenger, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, said that if new hair follicles had been produced, then it would constitute an advance.

However, he added: “We don’t yet know for certain whether these are new hair follicles, and it’s actually quite hard to prove that they are, not just the result of rubbing on the scalp or another effect.”

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7431092.stm

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NOW HAIR CLONING TO TREAT BALDNESS

02.06.2008 in HAIR LOSS SCIENCE

If clumps of your hair suddenly start falling out due to a common form of premature baldness, please don’t fret – scientists have pioneered a treatment to clone hair.

According to them, the technique, known as follicular cell implantation, works by replicating remaining hair strands and it could eventually help bald people to regain a full head of their own hair, The Daily Telegraph reported.

In fact, the technique has the potential to re-grow a limitless supply of hair for individuals who have become bald during cancer treatment, from suffering severe burns, or the onset of age, the researchers said.

However, the treatment may require more than 1,000 tiny injections to produce that number of hairs in extensively bald patients, but it promises to be quicker and less invasive than current hair transplant techniques.

The procedure is being developed by Intercytex, a British company based in Manchester, which is among many competing to find a cure for hair loss — a condition which affects 40 per cent of men over 50.

Trial results have indicated that the cell therapy can increase hair count in at least two thirds of patients after six months, and four out of five if the scalp is stimulated beforehand through gentle abrasions which encourage growth.

The therapy could be made available to patients within five years, the researchers hoped.  

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

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More treatment options for alopecia areata

30.05.2008 in ALOPECIA AREATA, Uncategorized

Topical (‘rub-on’) steroid

Steroid cream, gel, etc, may help hair re-growth, but does not work as well as steroid injections. It may be worth a try if you have bald patches that are not suitable for steroid injections, or if you are waiting to see a specialist to have steroid injections. If re-growth occurs it takes 3-6 months. There is no point continuing with this treatment if no re-growth occurs after six months.

Minoxidil solution

This is rubbed into the bald patches and has been shown to promote hair re-growth in some cases. This is the same treatment that is used for the common ‘male pattern’ baldness. It is not known how it works. The success rate is not high but may be worth a try. In particular, if you have more extensive bald patches that are not suitable for steroid injections, or if you are waiting to see a specialist for steroid injections.

Minoxidil is not available on the NHS. You need a private prescription and have to pay the full cost of the product, which makes it expensive. If it works, it usually takes 2-3 months of treatment for an initial response, and one year for a maximum response. There is no point continuing with this treatment if there is no improvement after one year.

Some people feel that combining a topical steroid with minoxidil gives a higher chance of hair re-growth than either treatment alone. However, there is little research evidence to prove this.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

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