Article - "Researchers Develop First Successful Hair Cloning Technique"

Stem cell; cell based hair therapy
1

http://www.bignews.biz/?id=832566&keys=cloning-transplant-restoration-hair

Two leading New York and Charlotte hair transplant surgeons and researchers, Gary Hitzig, M.D. and Jerry Cooley, M.D…, have become the first medical doctors to successfully clone hair using an FDA-cleared wound healing powder called MatriStem® MicroMatrix™. Using this powder, Dr. Hitzig and Dr. Cooley have been able to create a technique that multiplies the number of hair follicles in an area that had previously stopped growing hair – a breakthrough that many hair restoration researchers have been trying to accomplish.

MatriStem MicroMatrix, a product of regenerative medicine innovator, ACell, Inc., is a wound healing powder that promotes healing and tissue growth and has now proven to help regenerate hair in the donor and recipient regions of hair transplant patients. While intended for diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, traumatic wounds, second degree burns, surgical wounds (donor sites/grafts) and trauma wounds, Hitzig and Cooley have found that its properties offer a broader scope of treatment, including hair cloning.

MatriStem fundamentally changes wound healing by triggering new blood vessel formation at the wound site, as well as providing a favorable substrate for host cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. Hitzig and Cooley have also found that MatriStem causes the body to regenerate the original tissue complete with hair follicles.

“We’ve made amazing breakthroughs using MatriStem as a hair cloning tool,” said Dr. Hitzig. “We’ve been able to multiply the number of hair follicles growing in the recipient area, and as an added benefit are seeing faster hair growth. This new hair cloning technique also makes hair transplantation surgery less invasive.

“We are excited about the results of our preliminary studies,” said Dr. Cooley. “By combining the MatriStem with existing follicle components, it appears that we are able to achieve true hair regeneration. Further research will help us to refine this process to make it a consistent, reproducible technique. It may be especially well suited for those who have run out of traditional hair for transplantation.”

The original intent of the study was to see if the wound healing powder could correct scars from previous hair transplants and re-grow hair in the donor area. Successful results in treating scars led to this hair cloning breakthrough.

Dr. Gary Hitzig is a board certified hair restoration surgeon in New York City. He is also the author of Help and Hope for Hair Loss and developed and patented the Hitzig Linear Punch, a collection of extremely sharp disposable surgical punches that make narrow elliptical slots, which are sold to surgeons around the world. Dr. Hitzig has published numerous peer review articles on hair transplant techniques and is a regular presenter at medical hair restoration symposiums around the world. Dr. Hitzig is a member of the American Society of Dermatological Surgery, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and the American Hair Loss Council. He can be reached at (516) 536-0385 or visit www.nyhairloss.com.

Dr. Jerry Cooley is a board certified dermatologist in Charlotte, North Carolina and diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS). He

2

So if it’s already FDA approved, this should take what, about 5 years to come to market?

Seriously though this sounds pretty exciting. It also gives hope to those of us suffering penis loss.

» http://www.bignews.biz/?id=832566&keys=cloning-transplant-restoration-hair
»
» Two leading New York and Charlotte hair transplant surgeons and
» researchers, Gary Hitzig, M.D. and Jerry Cooley, M.D…, have become the
» first medical doctors to successfully clone hair using an FDA-cleared wound
» healing powder called MatriStem® MicroMatrix™. Using this powder, Dr.
» Hitzig and Dr. Cooley have been able to create a technique that multiplies
» the number of hair follicles in an area that had previously stopped growing
» hair – a breakthrough that many hair restoration researchers have been
» trying to accomplish.
»
» MatriStem MicroMatrix, a product of regenerative medicine innovator,
» ACell, Inc., is a wound healing powder that promotes healing and tissue
» growth and has now proven to help regenerate hair in the donor and
» recipient regions of hair transplant patients. While intended for diabetic
» ulcers, venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, traumatic wounds, second degree
» burns, surgical wounds (donor sites/grafts) and trauma wounds, Hitzig and
» Cooley have found that its properties offer a broader scope of treatment,
» including hair cloning.
»
» MatriStem fundamentally changes wound healing by triggering new blood
» vessel formation at the wound site, as well as providing a favorable
» substrate for host cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation.
» Hitzig and Cooley have also found that MatriStem causes the body to
» regenerate the original tissue complete with hair follicles.
»
» “We’ve made amazing breakthroughs using MatriStem as a hair cloning tool,”
» said Dr. Hitzig. “We’ve been able to multiply the number of hair follicles
» growing in the recipient area, and as an added benefit are seeing faster
» hair growth. This new hair cloning technique also makes hair
» transplantation surgery less invasive.
»
» “We are excited about the results of our preliminary studies,” said Dr.
» Cooley. “By combining the MatriStem with existing follicle components, it
» appears that we are able to achieve true hair regeneration. Further
» research will help us to refine this process to make it a consistent,
» reproducible technique. It may be especially well suited for those who have
» run out of traditional hair for transplantation.”
»
» The original intent of the study was to see if the wound healing powder
» could correct scars from previous hair transplants and re-grow hair in the
» donor area. Successful results in treating scars led to this hair cloning
» breakthrough.
»
» Dr. Gary Hitzig is a board certified hair restoration surgeon in New York
» City. He is also the author of Help and Hope for Hair Loss and developed
» and patented the Hitzig Linear Punch, a collection of extremely sharp
» disposable surgical punches that make narrow elliptical slots, which are
» sold to surgeons around the world. Dr. Hitzig has published numerous peer
» review articles on hair transplant techniques and is a regular presenter at
» medical hair restoration symposiums around the world. Dr. Hitzig is a
» member of the American Society of Dermatological Surgery, International
» Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and the American Hair Loss Council. He
» can be reached at (516) 536-0385 or visit www.nyhairloss.com.
»
» Dr. Jerry Cooley is a board certified dermatologist in Charlotte, North
» Carolina and diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery
» (ABHRS). He

3

yes! yes! just when I was about to give up waiting for hm

4

If Acell regenerates hairs when healing transplants, then will it regenerate hairs just from dermabrasion on the balded skin?

I don’t see that question being answered. And I don’t immediately see why it works when there are transplanted follicles but not when there aren’t.

(Before you say “the wound wouldn’t be deep enough with dermabrasion and no transplant grafts,” remember that Folica and others are already pretty confident that it would be enough for their methods.)

5

Finally, something to be excited about, I guess whoever said Dr. Jones didn’t do it corretly is right all along, Dr. Jones tried the same and it didn’t work on his patient.

6

Having read articles like this for the last 9 years, it just doesn’t spark anything hopeful in me. They always say something along the lines of “future research could blah blah blah.”

Everything in these forums has remained pretty much the same for the last 10 years.

Sorry if I am just spreading my bad attitude. lol.

7

» Having read articles like this for the last 9 years, it just doesn’t spark
» anything hopeful in me. They always say something along the lines of
» “future research could blah blah blah.”
»
» Everything in these forums has remained pretty much the same for the last
» 10 years.
»
» Sorry if I am just spreading my bad attitude. lol.

Exactly - you’re right to be skeptical. Until these guys publish a paper (its odd that they’d announce a “breakthrough” without providing peer-reviewable material), I wouldn’t get your hopes up. We’ve been down this road with Acel before, and it generated months of optimism that never panned out.

8

» » Having read articles like this for the last 9 years, it just doesn’t
» spark
» » anything hopeful in me. They always say something along the lines of
» » “future research could blah blah blah.”
» »
» » Everything in these forums has remained pretty much the same for the
» last
» » 10 years.
» »
» » Sorry if I am just spreading my bad attitude. lol.
»
» Exactly - you’re right to be skeptical. Until these guys publish a paper
» (its odd that they’d announce a “breakthrough” without providing
» peer-reviewable material), I wouldn’t get your hopes up. We’ve been down
» this road with Acel before, and it generated months of optimism that never
» panned out.

The one thing about Acell that I’ve always been curious about is that it contain Laminin-511, which was studied by Standford University and apparently basically signals the hair cells to grow (in mice, of course, but it’s going to be tested on humans in the future):

http://www.stopnowhairloss.com/2008/08/07/laminin-511-offers-hope-for-regenerating-hair-follicles-in-bald-people/

Now maybe these two guys figured something out that Dr. Jones didn’t try. That said this Hitzig guy has a bit of a spotty past with an employee who wasn’t licensed working at his clinic about 10 years ago.

Cooley seems to have a spotless record though and has received awards for his transplantation work and seems to be generally well thought of. So who knows.

I’d be skeptical, but something to keep an eye out for I guess.

9

» If Acell regenerates hairs when healing transplants, then will it
» regenerate hairs just from dermabrasion on the balded skin?
»
» I don’t see that question being answered. And I don’t immediately see why
» it works when there are transplanted follicles but not when there aren’t.
»
»
» (Before you say “the wound wouldn’t be deep enough with dermabrasion
» and no transplant grafts,” remember that Folica and others are already
» pretty confident that it would be enough for their methods.)

Cal, when I read the article, it seems that it regenerates hair which have died out (minaturized), but will not create hair that wasn’t present in the first place.

Hitzig and Cooley have also found that MatriStem causes the body to regenerate the original tissue complete with hair follicles.

But your question is a good one - why need a transplant when you can simply demabrade and use the MatriStem product. Perhaps the initial study did not contemplate this possibility and they just haven’t tried it yet?

I like the way this is going though - and it seems that it could be on the market sooner than five years (eg. now) if the MatriStem product is already available and FDA-approved. Thoughts?

10

» » If Acell regenerates hairs when healing transplants, then will it
» » regenerate hairs just from dermabrasion on the balded skin?
» »
» » I don’t see that question being answered. And I don’t immediately see
» why
» » it works when there are transplanted follicles but not when there
» aren’t.
» »
» »
» » (Before you say “the wound wouldn’t be deep enough with dermabrasion
» » and no transplant grafts,” remember that Folica and others are already
» » pretty confident that it would be enough for their methods.)
»
» Cal, when I read the article, it seems that it regenerates hair which have
» died out (minaturized), but will not create hair that wasn’t present in the
» first place.
»
» Hitzig and Cooley have also found that MatriStem causes the body to
» regenerate the original tissue complete with hair follicles.
»
» But your question is a good one - why need a transplant when you can
» simply demabrade and use the MatriStem product. Perhaps the initial study
» did not contemplate this possibility and they just haven’t tried it yet?
»
» I like the way this is going though - and it seems that it could be on the
» market sooner than five years (eg. now) if the MatriStem product is already
» available and FDA-approved. Thoughts?

MatriStem is basically Acell isn’t it?

Here’s a link to the Laminin-511 and Acell discussion here a couple of years ago:

http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-35467-page-0-order-last_answer-category-1.html

Laminin-511 is a protien that triggers hair to grow per a Stanford study. It’s in Acell apparently. I was pretty much never interested in Acell, but that always sorta stuck in the back of my head.

11

» » » If Acell regenerates hairs when healing transplants, then will it
» » » regenerate hairs just from dermabrasion on the balded skin?
» » »
» » » I don’t see that question being answered. And I don’t immediately
» see
» » why
» » » it works when there are transplanted follicles but not when there
» » aren’t.
» » »
» » »
» » » (Before you say “the wound wouldn’t be deep enough with
» dermabrasion
» » » and no transplant grafts,” remember that Folica and others are
» already
» » » pretty confident that it would be enough for their methods.)
» »
» » Cal, when I read the article, it seems that it regenerates hair which
» have
» » died out (minaturized), but will not create hair that wasn’t present in
» the
» » first place.
» »
» » Hitzig and Cooley have also found that MatriStem causes the body to
» » regenerate the original tissue complete with hair follicles.
» »
» » But your question is a good one - why need a transplant when you can
» » simply demabrade and use the MatriStem product. Perhaps the initial
» study
» » did not contemplate this possibility and they just haven’t tried it
» yet?
» »
» » I like the way this is going though - and it seems that it could be on
» the
» » market sooner than five years (eg. now) if the MatriStem product is
» already
» » available and FDA-approved. Thoughts?
»
» MatriStem is basically Acell isn’t it?
»
» Here’s a link to the Laminin-511 and Acell discussion here a couple of
» years ago:
»
» http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-35467-page-0-order-last_answer-category-1.html
»
» Laminin-511 is a protien that triggers hair to grow per a Stanford study.
» It’s in Acell apparently. I was pretty much never interested in Acell, but
» that always sorta stuck in the back of my head.

Yes that’s right - Acell is the company name and MatriStem is the product. Let’s hope something comes out of this.

12

» » » » If Acell regenerates hairs when healing transplants, then will it
» » » » regenerate hairs just from dermabrasion on the balded skin?
» » » »
» » » » I don’t see that question being answered. And I don’t immediately
» » see
» » » why
» » » » it works when there are transplanted follicles but not when there
» » » aren’t.
» » » »
» » » »
» » » » (Before you say “the wound wouldn’t be deep enough with
» » dermabrasion
» » » » and no transplant grafts,” remember that Folica and others are
» » already
» » » » pretty confident that it would be enough for their methods.)
» » »
» » » Cal, when I read the article, it seems that it regenerates hair which
» » have
» » » died out (minaturized), but will not create hair that wasn’t present
» in
» » the
» » » first place.
» » »
» » » Hitzig and Cooley have also found that MatriStem causes the body
» to
» » » regenerate the original tissue complete with hair
» follicles.
» » »
» » » But your question is a good one - why need a transplant when you can
» » » simply demabrade and use the MatriStem product. Perhaps the initial
» » study
» » » did not contemplate this possibility and they just haven’t tried it
» » yet?
» » »
» » » I like the way this is going though - and it seems that it could be
» on
» » the
» » » market sooner than five years (eg. now) if the MatriStem product is
» » already
» » » available and FDA-approved. Thoughts?
» »
» » MatriStem is basically Acell isn’t it?
» »
» » Here’s a link to the Laminin-511 and Acell discussion here a couple of
» » years ago:
» »
» »
» http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-35467-page-0-order-last_answer-category-1.html
» »
» » Laminin-511 is a protien that triggers hair to grow per a Stanford
» study.
» » It’s in Acell apparently. I was pretty much never interested in Acell,
» but
» » that always sorta stuck in the back of my head.
»
» Yes that’s right - Acell is the company name and MatriStem is the product.
» Let’s hope something comes out of this.

Matristem is a “next-gen” version of the previous Acell compound:

ACell’s MatriStem products are the next generation of ECM technology due to its unique characteristics featuring a basement membrane surface which is ideal for epithelial cell growth in many applications.

I have no idea what that means :stuck_out_tongue: , but I guess Acell has been sending it out to hair transplant doctors to test it out.

13

» » » But your question is a good one - why need a transplant when you can
» » » simply demabrade and use the MatriStem product. Perhaps the initial
» » study
» » » did not contemplate this possibility and they just haven’t tried it
» » yet?
» » »
» » » I like the way this is going though - and it seems that it could be
» on
» » the
» » » market sooner than five years (eg. now) if the MatriStem product is
» » already
» » » available and FDA-approved. Thoughts?
» »
» » MatriStem is basically Acell isn’t it?
» »
» http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-35467-page-0-order-last_answer-category-1.html
» »
» » Laminin-511 is a protien that triggers hair to grow per a Stanford
» study.
» » It’s in Acell apparently. I was pretty much never interested in Acell,
» but
» » that always sorta stuck in the back of my head.
»
» Yes that’s right - Acell is the company name and MatriStem is the product.
» Let’s hope something comes out of this.

Claiming to be developing a hair multiplication technique is a great way to drive traffic to your HT practice. Keep that in mind.

14

» » » » But your question is a good one - why need a transplant when you can
» » » » simply demabrade and use the MatriStem product. Perhaps the initial
» » » study
» » » » did not contemplate this possibility and they just haven’t tried it
» » » yet?
» » » »
» » » » I like the way this is going though - and it seems that it could be
» » on
» » » the
» » » » market sooner than five years (eg. now) if the MatriStem product is
» » » already
» » » » available and FDA-approved. Thoughts?
» » »
» » » MatriStem is basically Acell isn’t it?
» » »
» »
» http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-35467-page-0-order-last_answer-category-1.html
» » »
» » » Laminin-511 is a protien that triggers hair to grow per a Stanford
» » study.
» » » It’s in Acell apparently. I was pretty much never interested in
» Acell,
» » but
» » » that always sorta stuck in the back of my head.
» »
» » Yes that’s right - Acell is the company name and MatriStem is the
» product.
» » Let’s hope something comes out of this.
»
» Claiming to be developing a hair multiplication technique is a great way
» to drive traffic to your HT practice. Keep that in mind.

Yup agreed. We’ll have to wait and see actual results. Their tests are only preliminary as per their press release. I don’t ever really get too high or too low with any of this stuff. I’ve always been curious about the Laminin-511 link to Acell though.

15

» Claiming to be developing a hair multiplication technique is a great way
» to drive traffic to your HT practice. Keep that in mind.

And keep the following in mind too:

In 1996, a University of Maryland dermatology resident named Jerry Cooley cultured and implanted hair cells from his head into his forearm. Of 15 sites he cut and seeded, one grew a hair. “You don’t hear about cancer researchers injecting themselves with cells,” Cooley says. “This field is like the Wild West.”

I know that here are guys who knew already that, but anyway …

And in regard “WeWillWin” I could tell you a lot - I think.

16

» » Claiming to be developing a hair multiplication technique is a great way
» » to drive traffic to your HT practice. Keep that in mind.
»
» And keep the following in mind too:
» -----------------------
» In 1996, a University of Maryland dermatology resident named Jerry
» Cooley cultured and implanted hair cells from his head into his
» forearm. Of 15 sites he cut and seeded, one grew a hair. “You don’t hear
» about cancer researchers injecting themselves with cells,” Cooley
» says. “This field is like the Wild West.”
» -----------------------
» I know that here are guys who knew already that, but anyway …
»
» And in regard “WeWillWin” I could tell you a lot - I think.

17

.

18

He is MUCH MORE conservative about the potential of Acell in the interview. The press release is misleading.

19

so basicaly the doc says they use it to reduce scarring.

they do not know if its gonna be better than PRP. haha.

20

» so basicaly the doc says they use it to reduce scarring.
»
» they do not know if its gonna be better than PRP. they have no clue and no
» idea if it even works to grow hair. haha.

Yup - that release was very misleading. The guy puts out a press release claiming to have achieved HM, then totally avoids making that claim in the interview. What a bunch of bullsht.