A small bio-tech firm in San Diego has been making encouraging progress in the development of a new treatment to combat hair loss. Histogen, which mimics nature to use the same science driving stem-cell research, has been working on their formula ReGenica for a while now and has just revealed the early results from a five-month clinical trial currently in progress.
The trial, though primarily aimed at seeing whether or not the formula is safe for human use, seems to indicate that ReGenica starts improving hair quality in just 12 weeks. Trial subjects developed “more hair, thicker hair shafts and what appears to be the growth of completely new hair follicles in the areas that received the ReGenica treatment”, according to Dr Craig Zimmerman, who was the principal investigator of the study. There was also no reported adverse reactions.
The treatment was developed using man-man fibroblasts, early stem-cells, grown in an environment that mimics embryonic conditions. The fibroblasts then cause certain proteins named WNT proteins to be produced. In mice, WNT was shown to be responsible for initiating the formation of new hair follicles and improving function in existing follicles, and when the proteins were harvested and used on humans similar results were observed.
Histogen have reported that they are planning to meet with the FDA (the US Food and Drugs Administration), the body responsible for granting new drugs licenses to be sold publicly. While this is still some way off, many healthcare professionals and balding men will be watching the performance of the company with interest. Let’s wait for the next round of clinical trial results, but its still good to hear promising news!