Hair Restoration Blog

Intercytex has recently released some information on its hair multiplication experiments in a new article in the Journal of experimental dermatology. The title is “A graft model for hair development” and the article discusses what is done so far for hair multiplication experimentally. Intercytex has been involved with hair stem cell, hair culturing and hair multiplication, which is also known as hair cloning.

In this article follicular cell implantation (FCI) is discussed as an experimental cell therapy for the treatment of hair loss that uses cultured hair follicle cells to induce new hair formation. The process of culturing hair cells is based on the demonstration that adult dermal papilla cells (DPC) retain the hair inductive potential that they acquired during hair morphogenesis before birth. To obtain FCI, the investigators isolated hair inductive cells from scalp biopsies and then propagated them in culture media in order to provide adequate cells to generate several new follicles from a few hair follicles.

Following expansion of cells in culture, they implanted those cells into the scalp where they induce the formation of new follicles below the level of skin. They describe a consistent, reliable method in which they can test hair induction. Since the process relies on the ability to retain the potential for hair induction during the expansion of DPC in culture.

They go over a simple graft model that supports hair morphogenesis. In this experiment, they combine dermal cells with embryonic mouse epidermis that provides the keratinocyte (one of the skin cells) component of induced follicles. The grafts are placed under a protective skin flap in the host athymic mouse (a special mouse without capability to reject the transplanted grafts from human) where the cells will form a skin graft with hair if the dermal cells are hair inductive DPC.

Using the assay freshly isolated and cultured mouse embryo dermal cells as well as cultured dermal papilla cells from other species all induced hair formation. They also showed that induced hairs were aesthetically indistinguishable from those of the epidermal donor in length, thickness, and pigmentation. The investigators stated that the newly formed hairs were histologically normal and could resemble a complete natural hair.

We at Los Angeles hair transplant surgery centers of US Hair Restoration will closely follow up with the progress of hair multiplication and cloning techniques. Although the result of the cultured hair on animals has been released before, the current released article is interesting and elucidates more on the characteristics of cultured hair during the process of hair multiplication so called hair cloning. It seems like we still have a long way to go till we can practically use hair multiplication techniques in restoring human hair.

Autologous Hair Regeneration - ICX-TRC (Intercytex)

ICX-TRC is an autologous hair regeneration system. ICX-TRC project is an ongoing research program that uses a suspension of human dermal papilla cells (one of the stem cells of the hair follicle which is involved in the growth and cycling of hair follicles. The system is claimed to be used for the treatment of male and female patterned baldness. The intention of ICX-TRC is to provide a technique to restore hair in patients who do not have adequate supply of donor hair on scalp for the hair transplant process and maybe for everyone with baldness.

Both types of patterned hair loss have significant genetic influence. It was claimed that with the ICX-TRC procedure, the process of hair restoration would be less problematic than conventional hair transplants. The proposed idea is to remove a few normal hair follicles from the donor area and harvest their active cells called dermal papilla (DP). These active cells are cultured and multiplied by different techniques and eventually the multiplied cells from this culturing process could be used to produce multiple hair follicles. The goal is to grow the hair follicles that are produced with this method while keeping the original characteristics of donor hair.

The cultured cells are supposed to be injected to the bald areas of skin. Interaction between the DP cells and normal epithelial cells in the skin can potentially generate new hair follicles under a certain circumstances. The process of culturing the DP cells and getting the new cells may last around three weeks.

Intra-dermal injections of new DP cells in the scalp could be done under local anesthesia with the current techniques of hair transplantation. It is claimed that some sort of hair growth could be seen after 3 months. However the condition and characteristics of the new hairs have not completely elucidated.

ICX-TRC clinical trial

Every new medication or medical technique needs to be examined closely through a systematic process for evaluating its effectiveness and safety. Intercytex has announced that they have finished their phase I (for safety and tolerability of the system) on volunteer patients and it has been successful. It means that the procedures did not have a serious or lethal side effects, at least in short term.

They also announced that they started phase II in Manchester to optimize the delivery of the DP cells and to refine their techniques, which is completed as well. They have obtained hair and measured the growth by shaving and taking photos of the transplanted area with cultured DP cells. On the phase II of the study they used 19 volunteer. They describe few different techniques that were used including pre-stimulation of the skin before injection of the cultured cells. Unfortunately, there is not much information available on the technique and methodology of the studies.

Here is what is stated in Intercytex web site for the result of the phase 2 of this experiment:

• Eleven subjects have now passed the 24-week time point since treatment and specialized image analysis at this time point showed
• Of the group of six patients without stimulation of the scalp, three had an increased hair count and two had a reduced hair count; one has been lost to follow-up
• Of the five subjects with pre-treatment scalp stimulation, all had increased hair count at 12 weeks and the three who were evaluable at 24 weeks all had an increased hair count at that time point

They are still looking for the 24 week data on all subjects in September 2008. At that time if it is all promising we should expect to see the phase III started on a larger group of patients who try this treatment for a longer period of time (years) to rule out any long term complications.

Intercytex is also claimed that they are working on an automated device that can facilitate the injections of cultured grafts, which could be used for the transplantation of cultured hair cells.

Conclusions:

1. The progress of Intercytex research and the released results are not quite clear yet
2. The safety of this system has not yet evaluated for long term potential side effects of cultured human cells such as increased risk of cancer or other dermatologic or systemic abnormalities
3. If proven safe and effective after completion of the phase III, we should have an estimate of the cost for this procedure. It is unclear whether or not this is going to be affordable and something that could be used for everyone or it should be reserved for patients with special needs.

We will follow the progress of ICX-TRC project along with other similar projects on hair stem cell and hair multiplication studies and keep our readers posted.