giants

heres me about 4 months ago compared to the previous post which is where i am now

i diddn't tell you not to go on propecia but be careful it can fuck up your dick

i didnt realize it was for tomarrow

nevermind i diddnt realize it was only 30 minutes

not one person was at the chatroom when i tried to enter at 8:00

Taking propecia after a transplant is not required but you will continue to lose your native hair after the transplant. If you do not wish to take propecia tell your doctor before the sugery so he can plan for the loss of native hairs.

i appreciate the responses. Iv done my fair share of research. I have a sibling who is on propecia and it has worked great for him. If i decide to do it, it will greatly redude my hair loss anxiety. I may just decide to start on a low dose.

I used to have a straight across hairline in 7th grade. I noticed my hairline recceding my sophmore year. I am now a senior in high school. My hair has always been thin but i am not thinning just receeding. It slowly gets worse.Iv been taking rogaine for about a year and nizoral for about two weeks. I just dont want it to be a situation where i wish i that i would have gotten on propecia sooner.

I just feel like theres a change that i may be at a high risk of getting side-effects beacuse of my age. I also feel that there are many doctors and dermotologists that perscibe it without much thought so i dont know how seriously i can take them

Imagine a "chemical messenger" that can enter skin cells and send a signal, teaching it to be young again. In time, the skin will begin to feel naturally rejuvenated, tighter and younger without surgery. Superficial blemishes and pigmentation will reverse itself, leaving the complexion flawless and young. Now The Sloane Clinic is offering treatments using AAPE, a stem cell protein extract that is able to deliver just that.

Singapore (PRWEB) August 29, 2007 -- Imagine a "chemical messenger" that can enter skin cells and send a signal, teaching it to be young again. In time, the skin will begin to feel naturally rejuvenated, tighter and younger without surgery. Superficial blemishes and pigmentation will reverse itself, leaving the complexion flawless and young. Now The Sloane Clinic is offering treatments using AAPE, a stem cell protein extract that is able to deliver just that.

Stem cells have the unique characteristic of "plasticity" -- they have the ability to give rise to all of the different tissues of the human body. In general, stem cells have two distinguishing characteristics: They are unspecialized, in that they can clone themselves without limit; and they can differentiate into many cell types with specific functions.

As you know, no treatment is able to freeze time as our bodies and skin is subjected to many environmental assaults daily, but this treatment certainly comes close

Recently, scientists have discovered that human adipose (fat) tissue has a higher concentration of adult stem cells than any other tissue in the body. In fact, a given volume of adipose tissue contains 1,000 times more stem cells than the same volume of bone marrow -- 500 mL of fat can yield approximately 200 million stem cells. Stem cells have many unique applications in science and medicine, but this is the first time, protein extract derived from stem cells are used in the field of cosmetic dermatology.

In July 2007, facial and scalp rejuvenate therapies using AAPE was introduced at The Sloane Clinic in Singapore. AAPE (advanced adipose-derived stem cell protein extract) is a mixture of refined growth factor proteins that is extracted from human adipose-derived stem cells. AAPE uses proteins or chemical messengers that are extracted from stem cells found in human fat tissue. These messengers, when deposited or absorbed into the skin or scalp if that were the case, would then send a signal to cells in the skin teaching them to regenerate.

"In a very simplistic way, we are basically using this product to tell your skin to be young again," says Dr. Low Chai Ling, Aesthetic Physician of The Sloane Clinic, Singapore, one of the first doctors in Singapore to offer this treatment to her patients with overwhelming response.

"These AAPE cells are extracted from human adipocytes (fat cells) during the process of lipoaspiration (fat suction) and they contain the maximal number of stem cells in the human body. By cultivating these regenerative cells in test-tubes, we can establish cell lines which will serve as a reservoir of stem cells for anti-ageing and aesthetic therapies far superior than traditional methods of synthetic chemicals," she added.

Stem Cell as a Therapy

Stem-cell therapy can be viewed as a way to restore embryonic potential to a patient's aged or damaged cells. The goal of stem-cell therapy in aesthetic surgery would be to regenerate aging tissue. (of the face or scalp)

AAPE is the protein messengers extracted from these stem cells, and hence AAPE have the innate ability to rearrange, change, or repair local tissues significantly and rapidly. One of the most promising uses for AAPE may be the regeneration of facial fat that has been lost through the natural aging process -- facial fat atrophy. AAPE to could not only replace lost facial volume, but may also be able to rejuvenate the face by regenerating the skin from the inside out.

AAPE on the scalp can also help with the regeneration of ageing hair follicles and help stimulate hair growth and reverse the effects of balding without the need for hair transplant surgery.

A session will take about 30 minutes with multiple tiny punctures and most will begin to see the effects from your 3rd session onwards. Most patients will do a series of 6 sessions initially to prime their skin for long lasting anti-ageing effects.

"As you know, no treatment is able to freeze time as our bodies and skin is subjected to many environmental assaults daily, but this treatment certainly comes close," says Dr. Low Chai Ling.

Safety and Efficacy

AAPE which is the growth factors derived from stem cells harvested from human fat cells have been certified safe by CTFA (Cosmetic. Toiletry and Fragrance Association) as an approved cosmetic ingredient (Sep/13/2006). It has also been registered with INCI as human adipocyte conditioned media extract. This product is patented. (Patent registration number: PCT/KR2006/004111).

Stem Cell Facial and Scalp Therapy -- Miracle Facial?

Overall, stem cells raise the prospect of regenerating the aging face from the inside out, and thereby have the potential to change the entire practice of facial rejuvenation in the future. Stem Cell Facial Therapy for anti-ageing and intense facial rejuvenation purposes (reduction in wrinkles, pigmentation, evening of skin colour, closure of pores and softening and tightening ) costs around USD$600* per session. Stem Cell Scalp Therapy to regrow hair and reverse balding costs around USD$550*. Hair regrowth is usually seen in 6 sessions, 2 weeks apart.

For most, this is a leap in aesthetic advancement that is going to revolutionalize the cosmetic industry. And this will bring people a step closer to their anti-ageing ideal with the least amount of effort in the long run.

After all, pretty is what you are born with. But beautiful, that's an equal opportunity.

*Prices accurate at time of print but may be subjected to change.

Dr. Low Chai Ling is an aesthetic physician and the medical director of The Sloane Clinic, Singapore.

For more information on this and other treatment, please visit www.sloaneclinic.com

For general enquiries, please email enquiries @sloaneclinic.com

For press and media enquiries, please email marcom @sloaneclinic.com

I have been receeding since the age of 16. It not the end of the world yet but it could be in a few years. Do you think that 18 is too young to start propecia considering its possible current and long term side effects?

I have been receeding since the age of 16. It not the end of the world yet but it could be in a few years. Do you think that 18 is too young to start propecia considering its possible current and long term side effects?

Im sorry that cost i posted is false. I got that from an unreliable source

It also looks as though cloning will not cost as much as espected. Looks to be around 10-20,000

its all real interesting stuff. It seems as though every balding person in the U.S.(and around the world) is waiting for cloning or something like it. With this much interest and the rewards that come with cloning I would not be suprosed if it actually happens within the next 5 years.

its too bad to see but it diddn't pan out

CAMBRIDGE, MA ??“ Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS), a drug development company focused on seeking to develop novel targeted medicines primarily for cancer treatment, has just reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2007.

For the second quarter of 2007, Curis reported a net loss of $3,998,000 or ($0.08) per share, as compared to a net loss of $3,924,000 or ($0.08) per share for the same period in the prior year.

The most important news for hair loss sufferers is the following statement contained in their report:

"We currently do not expect to further develop our current Hedgehog agonist compounds for hair growth regulation."

In May 2007, Procter & Gamble notified Curis of their decision to terminate their September 2005 collaboration agreement for topically applied Hedgehog agonist compounds for hair growth regulation, effective November 9, 2007.

Also in May 2007, Ortho Biotech Products notified Curis of their decision to cease its development efforts on the BMP-7 program and terminate their November 2002 license agreement.

Curis is still pursuing the use of their Hedgehog antagonist for use in cancer treatments however.

"While we are disappointed that two of our collaborations concluded during the second quarter of 2007, we continue to make progress on our core small molecule cancer assets. We are pleased with the progress of our Hedgehog antagonist collaboration, the lead molecule of which is currently in Phase I clinical testing. We have also made significant progress on our targeted cancer programs that we are developing under our Targeted Cancer Drug Development Platform," said Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer.

its too bad to see but it diddn't pan out

CAMBRIDGE, MA ??“ Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS), a drug development company focused on seeking to develop novel targeted medicines primarily for cancer treatment, has just reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2007.

For the second quarter of 2007, Curis reported a net loss of $3,998,000 or ($0.08) per share, as compared to a net loss of $3,924,000 or ($0.08) per share for the same period in the prior year.

The most important news for hair loss sufferers is the following statement contained in their report:

"We currently do not expect to further develop our current Hedgehog agonist compounds for hair growth regulation."

In May 2007, Procter & Gamble notified Curis of their decision to terminate their September 2005 collaboration agreement for topically applied Hedgehog agonist compounds for hair growth regulation, effective November 9, 2007.

Also in May 2007, Ortho Biotech Products notified Curis of their decision to cease its development efforts on the BMP-7 program and terminate their November 2002 license agreement.

Curis is still pursuing the use of their Hedgehog antagonist for use in cancer treatments however.

"While we are disappointed that two of our collaborations concluded during the second quarter of 2007, we continue to make progress on our core small molecule cancer assets. We are pleased with the progress of our Hedgehog antagonist collaboration, the lead molecule of which is currently in Phase I clinical testing. We have also made significant progress on our targeted cancer programs that we are developing under our Targeted Cancer Drug Development Platform," said Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer.

by the way the hedgehog expiriment failed they are no longer working on it.

Bill can anwser all you ht question needs, but I'd suggest getting off procerin considering the fact it will do nothing for you. Id strongly suggest looking into rogaine, Nizoarl, and propecia.

is there more than one company working on hair-cloning or is this the main one?

so its a little different than what typical hair cloning will be like.

is this similar to WNT proteins

Intercytex has received many enquiries about ICX-TRC and sincerely regrets that it is unable to provide answers on an individual basis. In response, however, this new web-page has been created to provide some answers.

Please note: ICX-TRC is at an early stage of its development and there are still many unknowns which will become clearer as the clinical programme develops and the regulatory environment matures. The answers given below are provided by Intercytex in good faith based on current knowledge, but they are subject to change due to clinical trial results, scientific research or other factors which influence the development of new healthcare products. Therefore, anyone reading the information below is asked to do so in the same spirit and should not alter any current or future medication or hair treatment plan as a result.

When this page is amended, an alert will be sent to everyone who has registered via the alert service, which can be found on the upper navigation bar on the Home page of this website.

1. How can I receive ICX-TRC?

ICX-TRC is currently in Phase II clinical trials in the UK, so it is not yet widely available.

2. When will ICX-TRC be on the market?

ICX-TRC is classified as a medicine by the regulatory authorities and hence has to undergo a series of clinical trials before it can be offered on the market. We currently estimate that the earliest that ICX-TRC would be available on the market is 2010 although we don't know in which country it will be launched first.

3. How can I stay in touch with ICX-TRC's progress?

Please watch our website for news and announcements about ICX-TRC and sign up via the news alert so you can stay up-to-date with our progress.

4. When will the Phase II trial be completed?

It is a rolling trial which will optimise the formulation and delivery as well as studying safety and efficacy. We expect some data will become available during 2007. We anticipate the current trial will complete during 2008.

5. Will there be a Phase II or III trial in the US?

At the moment the Phase II trial will be conducted in the UK only. Phase III trials may be conducted in both the US and the UK but plans to do so have not been finalised.

6. May I take part in the Phase II clinical trial?

The trials are being conducted at the Farjo Medical Centre in Manchester so all volunteers need to come from that area of the UK, partly for safety reasons but mainly because of their evaluation at the clinic for 48 weeks after the procedure has been undertaken. If you live in the Manchester area and would like to be considered for participation in the trial, please contact clinicaltrials@intercytex.com.

7. How much will ICX-TRC cost?

It is too early to be able to determine the likely price.

8. Will ICX-TRC be available on the NHS or covered by insurance?

We don't know if ICX-TRC will be available on the NHS, however most procedures regarded as "cosmetic" are not covered by NHS or medical insurance.

9. Do you have before and after photos?

There are no before or after pictures yet. This is because the first clinical trial, the Phase I trial, was to test for safety not efficacy. Although hair growth was observed, it was not the primary purpose of the trial.

10. Will it be possible to grow a full head of hair using ICX-TRC?

Theoretically yes. If a person has enough hair at the back of the head from which to take a small sample of cells, we believe that ultimately it may be possible for their entire head to be re-populated with hair using the procedure.

11. If I have had a transplant will it prevent me from using ICX-TRC at a later date?

No, not at all. It may well be that ICX-TRC will work very well with a transplant and could be used to "top-up" a transplant if there is insufficient hair for a whole transplant to be carried out.

12. Would I need several treatments with ICX-TRC?

ICX-TRC will not stop the natural process of hair loss so what you might need is a series of "top-up" treatments over time so that a full head of hair could always be maintained as you continued to lose your own hair. We anticipate that only one small biopsy would be required at the start though as the cells would be cryopreserved and thawed as needed.

13. Would new hair grow in the same direction as the old?

In the ICX-TRC procedure we are not transplanting hair follicles, instead we are implanting cells into the skin which induce new hair growth, so there is no reason for these hairs to grow in a different direction from before.

14. Could ICX-TRC be used to treat the hair loss found in alopecia areata and totalis?

We do not know if ICX-TRC could be used to treat these conditions. These conditions are thought to be caused by an autoimmune mechanism. Since ICX-TRC is autologous (meaning it uses the patient's own cells) it may be that the underlying autoimmunity might attack and destroy ICX-TRC cells just as it attacked and destroyed intact hair follicle cells to cause the initial hair loss.

15. Would new hair be resistant to the hormones that cause hair loss in the first place?

Male pattern baldness, the most common type of hair loss, is caused by hormones which generally affect the central and frontal areas of hair but not the entire head. Hair at the back and sides remains and it is cells from this part of the head ??“ cells which are resistant to the hormones, that are used in the ICX-TRC process.

16. Could ICX-TRC be used to treat female diffuse alopecia?

We hope so. If ICX-TRC is successful in Phase II trials for male pattern baldness, we plan to begin trials for female diffuse alopecia.

17. Would it be possible to use donor hair for the ICX-TRC procedure if for example, someone had lost all their hair, wanted different coloured hair or a different textured hair?

In short the answers are maybe, no and no. The use of allogeneic or donor cells is a long-term goal but it is many years away. The colour of the hair comes from the epidermis and not the dermal papilla cells so the cells that are cultured have no influence on hair colour. Different textured hair would also require allogeneic cells which is currently not possible.

18. How will ICX-TRC be administered?

ICX-TRC will be administered by a healthcare specialist; a dermatologist, plastic surgeon or similarly qualified individual who will need to take a biopsy (a small sample of cells from the back of the patient's head) during the first part of the treatment and to inject cells into the patient's scalp during the second part of the procedure.

19. Does the ICX-TRC procedure result in the regeneration of miniaturised follicles or the growth of new follicles (neogenesis)?

Studies indicate that both of these mechanisms may be active. "Intrafollicular" implantation would take advantage of the follicle structure retained by the miniaturised follicles ??“ these follicles would already be aligned in the appropriate direction so rejuvenating or reactivating such pre-existing hairs may be easier than forming new ones in the case of "interfollicular" implantation. Intercytex is looking at both neogenesis and regeneration.

Please click on the link below to access the following publication:

Follicular Cell Implantation: An Emerging Cell Therapy for Hair Loss by Jeff' Teumer PhD and Jerry Cooley MD, Seminars in Plastic Surgery/Volume 19, Number 2, 2005

is this similar to WNT proteins

Intercytex has received many enquiries about ICX-TRC and sincerely regrets that it is unable to provide answers on an individual basis. In response, however, this new web-page has been created to provide some answers.

Please note: ICX-TRC is at an early stage of its development and there are still many unknowns which will become clearer as the clinical programme develops and the regulatory environment matures. The answers given below are provided by Intercytex in good faith based on current knowledge, but they are subject to change due to clinical trial results, scientific research or other factors which influence the development of new healthcare products. Therefore, anyone reading the information below is asked to do so in the same spirit and should not alter any current or future medication or hair treatment plan as a result.

When this page is amended, an alert will be sent to everyone who has registered via the alert service, which can be found on the upper navigation bar on the Home page of this website.

1. How can I receive ICX-TRC?

ICX-TRC is currently in Phase II clinical trials in the UK, so it is not yet widely available.

2. When will ICX-TRC be on the market?

ICX-TRC is classified as a medicine by the regulatory authorities and hence has to undergo a series of clinical trials before it can be offered on the market. We currently estimate that the earliest that ICX-TRC would be available on the market is 2010 although we don't know in which country it will be launched first.

3. How can I stay in touch with ICX-TRC's progress?

Please watch our website for news and announcements about ICX-TRC and sign up via the news alert so you can stay up-to-date with our progress.

4. When will the Phase II trial be completed?

It is a rolling trial which will optimise the formulation and delivery as well as studying safety and efficacy. We expect some data will become available during 2007. We anticipate the current trial will complete during 2008.

5. Will there be a Phase II or III trial in the US?

At the moment the Phase II trial will be conducted in the UK only. Phase III trials may be conducted in both the US and the UK but plans to do so have not been finalised.

6. May I take part in the Phase II clinical trial?

The trials are being conducted at the Farjo Medical Centre in Manchester so all volunteers need to come from that area of the UK, partly for safety reasons but mainly because of their evaluation at the clinic for 48 weeks after the procedure has been undertaken. If you live in the Manchester area and would like to be considered for participation in the trial, please contact clinicaltrials@intercytex.com.

7. How much will ICX-TRC cost?

It is too early to be able to determine the likely price.

8. Will ICX-TRC be available on the NHS or covered by insurance?

We don't know if ICX-TRC will be available on the NHS, however most procedures regarded as "cosmetic" are not covered by NHS or medical insurance.

9. Do you have before and after photos?

There are no before or after pictures yet. This is because the first clinical trial, the Phase I trial, was to test for safety not efficacy. Although hair growth was observed, it was not the primary purpose of the trial.

10. Will it be possible to grow a full head of hair using ICX-TRC?

Theoretically yes. If a person has enough hair at the back of the head from which to take a small sample of cells, we believe that ultimately it may be possible for their entire head to be re-populated with hair using the procedure.

11. If I have had a transplant will it prevent me from using ICX-TRC at a later date?

No, not at all. It may well be that ICX-TRC will work very well with a transplant and could be used to "top-up" a transplant if there is insufficient hair for a whole transplant to be carried out.

12. Would I need several treatments with ICX-TRC?

ICX-TRC will not stop the natural process of hair loss so what you might need is a series of "top-up" treatments over time so that a full head of hair could always be maintained as you continued to lose your own hair. We anticipate that only one small biopsy would be required at the start though as the cells would be cryopreserved and thawed as needed.

13. Would new hair grow in the same direction as the old?

In the ICX-TRC procedure we are not transplanting hair follicles, instead we are implanting cells into the skin which induce new hair growth, so there is no reason for these hairs to grow in a different direction from before.

14. Could ICX-TRC be used to treat the hair loss found in alopecia areata and totalis?

We do not know if ICX-TRC could be used to treat these conditions. These conditions are thought to be caused by an autoimmune mechanism. Since ICX-TRC is autologous (meaning it uses the patient's own cells) it may be that the underlying autoimmunity might attack and destroy ICX-TRC cells just as it attacked and destroyed intact hair follicle cells to cause the initial hair loss.

15. Would new hair be resistant to the hormones that cause hair loss in the first place?

Male pattern baldness, the most common type of hair loss, is caused by hormones which generally affect the central and frontal areas of hair but not the entire head. Hair at the back and sides remains and it is cells from this part of the head ??“ cells which are resistant to the hormones, that are used in the ICX-TRC process.

16. Could ICX-TRC be used to treat female diffuse alopecia?

We hope so. If ICX-TRC is successful in Phase II trials for male pattern baldness, we plan to begin trials for female diffuse alopecia.

17. Would it be possible to use donor hair for the ICX-TRC procedure if for example, someone had lost all their hair, wanted different coloured hair or a different textured hair?

In short the answers are maybe, no and no. The use of allogeneic or donor cells is a long-term goal but it is many years away. The colour of the hair comes from the epidermis and not the dermal papilla cells so the cells that are cultured have no influence on hair colour. Different textured hair would also require allogeneic cells which is currently not possible.

18. How will ICX-TRC be administered?

ICX-TRC will be administered by a healthcare specialist; a dermatologist, plastic surgeon or similarly qualified individual who will need to take a biopsy (a small sample of cells from the back of the patient's head) during the first part of the treatment and to inject cells into the patient's scalp during the second part of the procedure.

19. Does the ICX-TRC procedure result in the regeneration of miniaturised follicles or the growth of new follicles (neogenesis)?

Studies indicate that both of these mechanisms may be active. "Intrafollicular" implantation would take advantage of the follicle structure retained by the miniaturised follicles ??“ these follicles would already be aligned in the appropriate direction so rejuvenating or reactivating such pre-existing hairs may be easier than forming new ones in the case of "interfollicular" implantation. Intercytex is looking at both neogenesis and regeneration.

Please click on the link below to access the following publication:

Follicular Cell Implantation: An Emerging Cell Therapy for Hair Loss by Jeff' Teumer PhD and Jerry Cooley MD, Seminars in Plastic Surgery/Volume 19, Number 2, 2005

is cloning still in phase II and if so how far into it are they

is cloning still in phase II and if so how far into it are they