Dr. Hitzig: Scientific Errors, Factual Mistakes?

Stem cell; cell based hair therapy
1

Interesting to watch Dr. Hitzig and Dr. Prasad raving about ACell+PRP on the video posted by Stevie.Dee (ACell: How to Use It).

It seems to me that Dr. Hitzig is a very intelligent man, and also has a wide range of knowledge, BUT he makes a lot of statements where he gets the science completely muddled, blurs together different scientific concepts, and passes off completely speculative opinions as known facts.

I think this is very dangerous and misleading to patients.

For instance, in that video, in which Dr. Prasad is injecting someone’s scalp with ACell and PRP solutions, Dr. Hitzig makes the following comments:

  1. He says words to the effect that in people with MPB, there is a genetic trait which makes stem cells “go bad” so that they don’t turn into progenitor cells and thus cannot “protect” the follicle from DHT. He refers to the research from University of Pennsylvania (Dr. Cotsarelis) which he says supports this.

  2. He says words to the effect that ACell works by activating these “bad” stem cells so that they can turn into useful progenitor cells that can protect the follicles from DHT.

First, let me tackle assertion #1 above. Yes, MPB-affected people have a genetic trait. And yes, according to Dr. Cotsarelis’ research, that genetic trait affects skin stem cells in the scalp. Dr. Cotsarelis found that people with MPB have the same number of stem cells, but fewer active “hair follicle progenitor cells” (derived from those stem cells somehow), in their scalps. But, how does Dr. Hitzig know that the result of that is that progenitor cells aren’t available to “protect the follicles from DHT”??? I think a more reasonable inference would be that DHT (in genetically-predisposed people) is the CAUSE of the stem cells not converting to useful progenitor cells… and then the lack of useful progenitor cells is the CAUSE of the follicle miniaturizing, because the progenitor cells are directly involved in the hair-germinating activity of the follicle. (Note that in Dr. Hitzig’s explanation, he doesn’t even give a plausible explanation of what DHT actually does to the follicle. I am saying that the effect of DHT is directly on the stem cells, leading to a cascade which prevents stem cells from becoming progenitor cells. Dr. Hitzig seems to have muddled up cause and effect.)

On Dr. Hitzig’s assertion #2 above, here he says that injecting ACell+PRP into the scalp will activate stem cells and cause them to convert into progenitor cells, which will promote or induce growth of the follicles. HOW DOES HE KNOW THIS???

We know that MPB people have a faulty gene, but if the cause is a bad gene and “bad” stem cells resulting from this genetics, then why would ACell work the same way on stem cells in the balding areas as it does in the non-balding areas of the scalp? In the non-balding areas, the “bad” gene is switched off, and in the balding areas, the “bad” gene is switched on.

In my opinion, if ACell is injected into balding areas, it won’t encourage those “bad” stem cells to convert into “good” progenitor cells. ACell has absolutely no effect on genes; it is a genetically inert substance that does not penetrate the cell nucleus, and doesn’t interact with DNA or RNA in any way (mostly because it is composed of macroscopic particles that can’t enter the cell membrane or nuclear membrane, although they can have effects on cells).

Rather, I would think that if ACell is injected into balding areas, the most it could do is recruit more of those “bad”, useless MPB stem cells… which wouldn’t do anything to help the balding person.

I just don’t think what Dr. Hitzig is saying sounds right…

2

Good one.

Here is what i would call plausible over this Acell/PRP thing

Inject a progenitor stem cell solution DIRECTLY into each and every follicle (minituarized) maybe cells cultured from DHT resistent areas.

After that use an Acell Gel or what ever on the recipient site to fasten up healing process.

Why fasten up healing process? Because so you can be sure that those resitent cells will be induced to the whole follicle regeneration process and therefore stay in the follicle till you die and therefore form a new working follicle

But thats all, Acell is just an Accelerator for healing, if it has some effect on dormant or minituarized follicles, we cant compare it because we lack ONE study, the studey where an area where each follicle is hit directly is compared to an area where someone like this boob enlarger Prasad is injection Acell randomly

3

» Rather, I would think that if ACell is injected into balding areas, the
» most it could do is recruit more of those “bad”, useless MPB stem cells…
» which wouldn’t do anything to help the balding person.

Correct. ACell’s pig bladder ECM just recruits the proliferating (“multiplying” ) cells, whereby these cells are genetically fully identical. That means genetically “bad cells” proliferate to “bad cells” and genetically “healthy cells” proliferate to “healthy cells”.

You remember the guy who lost his finger tip?
After applying the ACell powder, he got a baby-like finger tip or what?

4

» Good one.
»
» Here is what i would call plausible over this Acell/PRP thing
»
» Inject a progenitor stem cell solution DIRECTLY into each and every
» follicle (minituarized) maybe cells cultured from DHT resistent areas.
»
» After that use an Acell Gel or what ever on the recipient site to fasten up
» healing process.
»
» Why fasten up healing process? Because so you can be sure that those
» resitent cells will be induced to the whole follicle regeneration process
» and therefore stay in the follicle till you die and therefore form a new
» working follicle
»
» But thats all, Acell is just an Accelerator for healing, if it has some
» effect on dormant or minituarized follicles, we cant compare it because we
» lack ONE study, the studey where an area where each follicle is hit
» directly is compared to an area where someone like this boob enlarger
» Prasad is injection Acell randomly

I have suggested to Dr. Hitzig that he should add both hip stem cells and progenitor cells into the mix and his responses haven’t been totally clear. One time he will say “it’s in there” and the next time he will say “looking into it.” I know that hip stem cells are not in there yet and I know that progenitor cells are not in there yet. He needs to add them.

I have also asked him about the right WNTs and other growth factors and he always says that “it’s in there” but I am not really on board with that assertion. Not really. Acell + PRP probably has a few stem cells but not enough. It also has no added progenitor cells and he needs to add some. It probably has some growth factors but I do not believe it has enough of all of the right growth factors. I think that some key growth factors are completely missing from the treatment. If all of the key growth factors were in the mix (Acell + PRP) as it is being used then it would get results at least as good Histogen and it is not getting results as good as Histogen.

5

Right now it smells more like

“Get fast money before other tratments arrive”

This whole Acell/PRP stuff is pretty much well useless or only minor beneficial.

WHat he should have pursued instead

  1. Plucking hairs and auto cloning

Everything else is just wasted ressources, there is no such thing right now like a face lift where you can get an injection and you are good.

Especially not if you inject this stuff so randomly

6

» Right now it smells more like
»
» “Get fast money before other tratments arrive”
»
» This whole Acell/PRP stuff is pretty much well useless or only minor
» beneficial.
»
» WHat he should have pursued instead
»
» 1) Plucking hairs and auto cloning
»
» Everything else is just wasted ressources, there is no such thing right now
» like a face lift where you can get an injection and you are good.
»
» Especially not if you inject this stuff so randomly

I think you may be right about getting the fast money before other treatments arrive but I do think that Acell + PRP would have potential if he would augment it but I don’t think he intends to. I do think that some of the pics show obvious regrowth but not enough regrowth so if he would improve the darn thing it might make a big difference but I think he has taken it as far as he intends to.

7

They all do this.

Lets assume : you, me, roger that, SPanish Dude and Iron Man represent the hair transplantation world.

You are representing Ari/Histogen etc. One day you come up with your whole stuff.

Me, roger that, SPanishDude and Iron-Man first dismiss you and make fun of you.

One day roger that is offering something called hair multiplication in terms of transections. The rest of us is still laughing.

Now we have 2011 and everyone knows “Oh oh future is coming pretty fast and customers are gone” so what should Iron Man , SD and me do?

Correct we jump on the band waggon and use the smallest common denominator here to get a little bit of cash before the whole situation blows for us.

Iron-Man he has offered only strip before, knows oh man Strip will be obsolete, so what should i do? Right i offer Acell PRP.

SPanishDude is like "Goddamn i am a FUE surgeon man what can i dod i know that the whole stem cell stuff is true, what should i do…wait i investigate plucking because its working (i know this) and i dont have to learn FUE again.

So what should i do? Correct i jump on this waggon as well

8

» They all do this.
»
» Lets assume : you, me, roger that, SPanish Dude and Iron Man represent the
» hair transplantation world.
»
» You are representing Ari/Histogen etc. One day you come up with your whole
» stuff.
»
» Me, roger that, SPanishDude and Iron-Man first dismiss you and make fun of
» you.
»
» One day roger that is offering something called hair multiplication in
» terms of transections. The rest of us is still laughing.
»
» Now we have 2011 and everyone knows “Oh oh future is coming pretty fast and
» customers are gone” so what should Iron Man , SD and me do?
»
» Correct we jump on the band waggon and use the smallest common denominator
» here to get a little bit of cash before the whole situation blows for us.
»
» Iron-Man he has offered only strip before, knows oh man Strip will be
» obsolete, so what should i do? Right i offer Acell PRP.
»
» SPanishDude is like "Goddamn i am a FUE surgeon man what can i dod i know
» that the whole stem cell stuff is true, what should i do…wait i
» investigate plucking because its working (i know this) and i dont have to
» learn FUE again.
»
» So what should i do? Correct i jump on this waggon as well

You’re right. But I do think that Acell + PRP does have some potential. I think that just as Hitzig is already doing it, it might give great regrowth to people who have lost very little hair, but if he wants to grow a lot of hair on people like me who have lost more hair then he will have to enhance the treatment but I doubt that he is going to. I have decided not to spend my money on it because it does not yield enough positive results for people like me who have lost significants amount of hair. I’m not paying for this treatment unless he augments the treatment and makes it better. It simply does not grow enough hair as the treatment is right now. He says that maybe he can’t get full regrowth with Acell + PRP because maybe the balding scalp can only regrow 20% of lost hair but that is simply incorrect. Women who take oral antiandrogens are getting back a lot more than 20% of their lost hair. They are getting back almost all of their lost hair or even all of it.
Dr. Hitzig needs to rethink his assumption that perhaps only 20% of lost hair is recoverable. In fact, it is definitely an incorrect assumption.

9

Thats correct on a virgin scalp, hair loss is reverseble and of course MORE then 20%, which is a ridicolously low number.

But those statements from Hitzig are supporting my “theory” about the waggon.

Jarjar they simply cannot afford to research this stuff further OR fully reverse hair loss because the time frame until real solutions are available is pretty pretty pretty small