Hair Loss News

Hair Regeneration Research Grant Awarded to Intercytex
by Joe Tillman

Date Added: December 7, 2006

October 2006, U.K. Department of Trade awarded Intercytex, a cell regeneration research company, a £1.85 million, grant to develop an automated manufacturing process for hair regeneration therapy for the treatment of male pattern baldness.

The grant will be used for the development of a commercial-grade robotic manufacturing system for production of dermal papilla(DP) cells, the cells responsible for hair regeneration.

Intercytex hair regeneration plan involves extracting DP cells from a patient, multiplying those cells in an Intercytex proprietary system (known as ICX-TRC), and implanting those cells back in the patient's scalp to induce new hair growth. Phase 1 testing of ICX-TRC has been completed and in the results 5 out of 7 patients showed hair regrowth. Phase 2 recruitment is underway and results of Phase 2 testing should be released in 2007.

ICX-TRC is intended for use by hair transplant clinics, dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Surgeons in those clinics would perform a 30 minute biopsy of the DP cells with the patient under local anaesthetic. The cells would be sent to Intercytex, multiplied in the ICX-TRC system and returned to the clinic for micro-injection into the patient's scalp.

In the future, Intercytex plans to expand the system to aid in the treatment of female diffuse alopecia.