I think your readers will be interested in the following patent. This was filed by Intercytex on September 27, 2007. I would like your comments on this invention, as well as their claims that they have produced “proto-hairs” in vitro, which may then be implanted into the scalp.
Description of WO2007109223
Here is an excerpt:
“We have for the first time produced such proto-hairs in vitro. A proto-hair may be considered as a part-formed follicle. It can be identified and isolated at a stage of development between the dermal papilla cell stage and the fully formed follicle stage. A proto-hair has a structure which develops from the dermal papilla cell but is no longer a dermal papilla cell as such. The structure of the proto-hair is also not that of a follicle, but it can be seen to have elements of follicle-like structure. A proto-hair is capable of further development. It can develop into a mature hair follicle in a suitable in vitro culture. It can also develop into a mature hair follicle if implanted into a recipient : this means that in vitro produced proto-hair can subsequently produce a mature hair follicle in vivo.”
Dr. Rassman’s reply:
At the recent International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) meeting, a paper was presented by Intercytex and it discussed the proto-hairs. This is an exciting development, but there is still a long way from producing these hair precursors to a clinically, reproducible process for creating hair where none existed. There have been other breakthroughs in the past that produced hair from stem cells, but these have failed to produce mature hair organs. We must be patient and see what comes down the pike.
We must be patient and see what
» comes down the pike.
Except when it comes to my hair transplants. In that case, don’t be patient. Get a big scar now.
BTW, I saw the most pitiful sight today at an Italian restaurant: a 35 year old man, Norwood 6-7, with a shaved head and a huge “pencil-thin” (i.e., the eraser side) scar wrapping the back of his head. What a disgusting surgery. Strip surgery should be outlawed.
You seen a guy with a buzz cut and donor scar. Did he have hair up top or in the front, or did it look like he had it taken out? Did it look like he might have had a “failed” surgery?
Thats the part of this that some docs just “dont get”. Its not that transplants are bad per se, but men simply just dont have “enough” donor hair. If most men only went NW 3 bald, and stayed that way for the rest of their lives, getting a hair transplant would be a rite of passage for most men, because just filling in recessed temples would be pretty easy for docs to do with all the available donor hair. But men, as we all know, usually progress to NW6 or so as they age, leading to insufficient donor supply.
William Rassman is only interested in making money for himself. If in vitro HM “comes down the pike”, that Son-of-a-Bitch will be paying to get licensed to do it, and probably claiming he had something to do with inventing it. He will also probably go back to doing strip only as if they can “make” hair in this way, very few men will be needing to buzz.
» William Rassman is only interested in making money for himself. If in
» vitro HM “comes down the pike”, that Son-of-a-Bitch will be paying to get
» licensed to do it, and probably claiming he had something to do with
» inventing it. He will also probably go back to doing strip only as if they
» can “make” hair in this way, very few men will be needing to buzz.
As biased as Rassman can be, I think we have to agree that this proto-hair technology is a lot further out than ICX-TRC. I find the proto-hair research interesting, but I’m not putting a lot of faith into it as a short-term solution.
Phase 0: HT, FUE, BHT, HST etc.
Phase I: 2-D cellular implantation
Phase II: Spherical culturing and matrix implantation
Phase III: Proto-hair culturing and implantation
Phase IV: Non-HM methods
Combinations of the above could be used once the newer technology is invented. This is similar to the way HT + ICX-TRC might work.
» Hi Dr Rassman,
»
» I think your readers will be interested in the following patent. This was
» filed by Intercytex on September 27, 2007. I would like your comments on
» this invention, as well as their claims that they have produced
» “proto-hairs” in vitro, which may then be implanted into the scalp.
»
» Description of WO2007109223
»
» Here is an excerpt:
» “We have for the first time produced such proto-hairs in vitro. A
» proto-hair may be considered as a part-formed follicle. It can be
» identified and isolated at a stage of development between the dermal
» papilla cell stage and the fully formed follicle stage. A proto-hair has a
» structure which develops from the dermal papilla cell but is no longer a
» dermal papilla cell as such. The structure of the proto-hair is also not
» that of a follicle, but it can be seen to have elements of follicle-like
» structure. A proto-hair is capable of further development. It can develop
» into a mature hair follicle in a suitable in vitro culture. It can also
» develop into a mature hair follicle if implanted into a recipient : this
» means that in vitro produced proto-hair can subsequently produce a mature
» hair follicle in vivo.”
»
» ---------------------------------------
» Dr. Rassman’s reply:
»
» At the recent International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS)
» meeting, a paper was presented by Intercytex and it discussed the
» proto-hairs. This is an exciting development, but there is still a long
» way from producing these hair precursors to a clinically, reproducible
» process for creating hair where none existed. There have been other
» breakthroughs in the past that produced hair from stem cells, but these
» have failed to produce mature hair organs. We must be patient and see what
» comes down the pike.
see, what rassman writes sounds logical. he might be a bad ht surgeon but he gives realistical predictions about hm.
» see, what rassman writes sounds logical. he might be a bad ht surgeon but
» he gives realistical predictions about hm.
IMO, I’ve seen many outrageously illogical comments made by Rassman about HM. In fact, I don’t think he even had a clue as to what HM was until a couple of years ago. Then the light bulb suddenly went off and his outrageously misinformed comments slowly began to dry up.
This is similar to how he broke into the FUE field. He started out being the world’s biggest skeptic. Then, after seeing a detailed presentation by Dr. Woods, the light bulb finally went off, and he began to claim that he invented the idea himself. All the time he made this claim, he outrageously slandered the real inventor–Dr. Woods.
My feeling about Dr. Rassman is that he should be the last person anybody look to when it comes to making predictions about the future of hair restoration. Dr. Rassman has a history of it taking a very long time before he can logically understand the mechanics of futuristic procedures. Then when he finally gets it, he steps in and becomes the GURU who knows more about the subject than anybody else.
Right now, Rassman is starting to play the HM card in such a manner that he can segue his way into being “the foremost expert in the HM field” after previously having been the “world’s foremost skeptic.” IMO, not a lot has changed about this guy and not a lot ever will.
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