Is it time to defer surgery for Replicel outcome in 2018/19?

[GraftChaser]

I'd  like the members' view on this. Replicel seems to be now on the horizon and if it works out the way it's being made out to be, wins hands down over regular transplant sugeries. For someone who's about to go in for the procedure sometime soon, does it make sense to hold back and wait for Replicel?

 

 

[bismarck]

From what they've put out so far, I wouldn't expect effective clinical therapy to become available sooner than 10-15 years down the road in a best case scenario. 

Stem cell therapy has been the most promising frontier of hair loss research for awhile, but that's all it's been so far -- promises. 250 applications to the FDA this year alone for stem cell/gene therapy, expected to quadruple to 1000 by 2021, the field is booming. However, keep in mind that small biotech companies tend to overpromise and underdeliver early on to attract angel investors and corporate partnership, as funding is a serious issue in the R&D phase.

Also, there's no reason to think that having surgery would preclude you from Replicel treatment if/when it becomes available to the general public.

Commentary on their early trial:

"In fact, it could be said that the findings are perhaps underwhelming even for a small scale trial, with the seven “top-tier” respondents to treatment recording a greater than 10 per cent increase in hair density at six months. At 24 months, the average hair density increase for these same patients was 8.3 per cent over baseline. The largest increase over 24 months in a single patient was 21 per cent."

I'll believe it when I can run a comb through it.

Edited September 6, 2018 by bismarck

[LonelyGraft]

I’ve been on hair loss boards since 2005 so almost 15 years. I can’t count the number of times where a “potential cure is on the horizon” or “it will be released in 5 years.” 

 

This is just my opinion but I don’t think there will be a cure released in our lifetime.

[Melvin- Admin]

The reason, why cloning hasn’t really taken off is because cells that replicate are also?  

Thats right cancerous cells, they can get cells to replicate, but how do they stop these cells from continuing to replicate and become cancer. This is why these trials have never moved past phase III.  

I would not hold my breath for this treatment, I will most likely never see cloning in my lifetime, because once they can figure out how to stop cell replication, well then they’ve found the cure for cancer.

[GraftChaser]

Thanks for your views guys. If you guys think a Replicel kind of treatment won't be available in your lifetime, it sure can't be available in my lifetime. I'm already 55+ :)

5 hours ago, bismarck said:

Also, there's no reason to think that having surgery would preclude you from Replicel treatment if/when it becomes available to the general public. 

Bismarck, i thought one huge advantage a Replicel kind of treatment would have is it wouldn't require harvesting a huge amount of donor grafts. So one could get more hair without depleting the available hair.

But it's pointless if it's still such a long shot. I think i'll go ahead and schedule my procedure.

[bismarck]

On 9/6/2018 at 12:12 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

The reason, why cloning hasn’t really taken off is because cells that replicate are also?  

Thats right cancerous cells, they can get cells to replicate, but how do they stop these cells from continuing to replicate and become cancer. This is why these trials have never moved past phase III.  

I would not hold my breath for this treatment, I will most likely never see cloning in my lifetime, because once they can figure out how to stop cell replication, well then they’ve found the cure for cancer.

That will always be the issue with any therapy that triggers the 'immortal' stem cell. You are at risk of going the other direction.

Hair follicles, and for that matter life itself, are a delicate balancing act. There are 2 basic approaches researchers take to try and maintain longevity.

-Slow down division rates because with each progressive cycle, the telomeres at the end of the follicle's DNA strand shorten due to the introduction of random mutations during replication. The risk: if you slow down division too much, the cell will die. 

-Speed up division through the stem cell induction, harvesting/implantation and growth factors, essentially starting from scratch. The risk: you will also trigger or enable aberrant cells to follow the same path, and inadvertently trigger cancer. Also, older follicles may not be able to handle the stress of increased division and fibrose -- the dreaded shock loss that becomes permanent.

They are trying stem cell therapy currently with literally almost every disease process out there -- heart disease, Parkinson's, cirrhosis, you name it. The Nobel prize winning question to answer is simple: how to promote the longevity and growth of the cells *we want* while scavenging and removing the cells that will hurt us when left unchecked. We are not even past the first step of this process, we can't even consistently get the cells we want. Very few scientists have started thinking forward to the second step because the first step is so massive.

My hunch is that molecular and atomic transistors will be the missing link for most of these issues. Imagine an intelligent follicular extraction that used microstaining or spectroscopy to determine exactly how large the  bulbar stem cell was at the dermal papillae, instead of this blind stabbing or lawnmower strips. It will make the most detailed and delicate work of today look like savage butchery. More subtle work such as dividing stem cells so as not to lose donor density would be the logical next step.

If Replicel is successful, its creators will not only revolutionize hair loss, but also literally reset all of sports medicine. Tendons and cartilage share many of the same issues as hair follicles with aging.

Edited September 8, 2018 by bismarck

[Sean]

Just got an email with REPLICEL’s CEO message:

 

”We now have a well-capitalized, very motivated partner developing and commercializing products with us in greater China, we anticipate hearing sometime soon about the clinical results from the Shiseido-sponsored hair loss study in Japan, and we are now months away from having commercial-grade units of the dermal injector in our hands.”

 

 

[GraftChaser]

Replicel should know by now there is more scepticism than hope about their work.

Thanks anyway Sean for your post. Keeps the thread alive and updated.