Intercytex phase II hair multiplication trial update
Note: there are new results in this trial. See the March ‘08 Intercytex update here
Intercytex, a UK-based biotechnology company, released the results from their ongoing ICX-TRC Phase II trial hair multiplication technology today.
To be clear: permanent hair is being grown on bald scalps. No drugs or further treatment is needed to keep the hair. This is the beginning of an absolute cure for hairloss.
From the PDF information sheet:
ICX-TRC consists of a suspension of autologous dermal papilla (DP) cells. These cells are able to stimulate the generation of new hairs when injected into the scalp in close proximity to the epithelial cells which generate the hair. The purpose of the ongoing Phase II study being conducted by Dr Bessam Farjo in Manchester is to optimise the delivery of the DP cells. In this study, hair counts are obtained by shaving and photographing a small section of scalp, injecting it and then applying a specialised image analysis system to provide a total hair count. Two sub-groups were each injected with autologous DP cells using different delivery techniques. The first group focussed on delivery of the hair inductive DP cells, and in the second group resident hair producing (epithelial) cells were also stimulated at the time of delivery. Although it is too early to determine fully the differences between the sub-groups, the preliminary data are encouraging. In the first sub-group 2 patients out of 5 showed substantial increases in hair count (21 & 55%) at 24 weeks. In the second sub-group (5 patients in total) injected more recently, all patients showed substantial and visible increased hair counts at 6 and/or 12 weeks (13-105%). We believe this increased hair production is attributable to the interaction between the injected DP cells and the stimulated resident hair producing cells. A further 8 subjects will be treated with variations in delivery technique. The full data set on all subjects at 24 weeks will be available in the middle of 2008. This detailed analysis will form the basis of further Phase II or Phase III trials as appropriate. At the end of the trial photographic data will be analysed from a much larger area of treated scalp on all subjects at 12 months. Currently 2 patients have been lost to follow up.
What this means:
- There was a large variation in result quality, coinciding with Intercytex refining their technique.
- Everyone that completed the trial grew hair.
- Some patients doubled their hair count in the test area (105%). Other patients, not so much (13%).
- A new trial with 8 patients will begin soon, the delivery technique will be further refined.
- New results will be released in 24 weeks (mid 2008), with images.
- There may or may not be more Phase II or Phase III testing after this.
What we still don’t know:
- The quality of the new hair
- If repeat injections in the same area would yield continual improvement
- What “pre-stimulation” means, which by their account improves efficacy and is the basis of the second leg of their Phase II trial.
- If this new hair is definitely DHT resistant and cycles normally (Likely, but not proven).
So when will this thing come to market?
Depends on how the next leg of the trials go, but Intercytex already has a market-released cosmetic product called ICX-RHY which was greenlit by MHRA, the medical regulatory agency in the UK. It’s quite possible that our beloved hair multiplication technology will receive the same push to market after Phase II.
That said, ICX-RHY may have only made it to market because it’s a new technology that isn’t adequately regulated. There’s a big party-crashing cloud coming in the form of new European legislation called Advanced Therapies Medicinal Products Regulation (ATMP) , which may become law in 2008. This could be seen as either an extra hurdle or as incentive for Intercytex to get to market fast, as any existing approvals will not face the new regulation. (source)
Regardless of any setbacks, when the doors do finally open to a renewable source of hair, you can count on a stampede of bald man-mastodons rattling windows and flattening all life in a mad dash to the lab, wherever that may be. I’ll be the third formerly wooly mammoth from the front.
Read more: Hair Multiplication on the Tressless Wiki
Sou Brasileiro, estou com 21 anos, e com rarefação no couro cabeludo e entradas evidentes…
estou aqui torcendo para essa técnica sair logo no mercado, estou novo e quero curtir as baladas de sabado a noite.
Por Favor Agilizem ai….
Hello!
I’m a 20 years old brazilian male and I’m losing my hair pretty badly.
Please let it become true. It’s the best hope to us!
I still want to enjoy my youth.
Thanks
Very eagerly waiting as i m losing hair severely. i m almost 65% bald. i m 30 years old. hope there is no hurdles in the subsequent tests and i really expect it to hit the market in a couple of years from now.
I am 24 year’s old Indian male .I’m losing my hairs From 2 years,I hope the better & reasonable hair multiplication technique will come within 2-3 years.
I am 29 year’s old French male . I’m losing my hairs only in the font line area and it’s not cool !!!!
Please do something for me ,let it become true ,make it happen !!!!
sincerely yours .
Thanks
Hello guys from everywhere,
It’s seems that this new techinique from Intercytex it’s being very, very expected. It’s not diferent to me, I´m in the same situation from everyone here. I´m 26 years old brazilian male. I´m loosing my hair since I was 22. This is my or our unique chance in a short future, because there’s not being expected to get the market soon. Since I started loose my hair I became very depressed and this definitely change my life to a bad life. I hope and pray this new hair multiplication may help us to get back our precious hair and our happy life again. Full success to Intercytex and good lucky for everyone!!
Regards,
Rodrigo Oliveira from Brazil.
ICX-TRC is curently in its phase 2 trials. the full data will be available in mid 2008,after that there will be phase 3 trials will be held & then it will be come in market. it takes lot of time, i think 4 years. this techniqe is not cheap,it will get 4 years to come in full existanse in market & in reasonable cost. So i think this is not usefull to the persons like me who are already cross the age of 23, we are not capable to take enjoy of our youth with full hairy head.
I hope that the results from phase 2 will be accurate & successfull & intersytex will have to launch icx-trc in market in 2008. If this will happen i & lacks of bald youth wishes to intersytex.
I am 60% bald. I knew no existing treatment for hair loss that is going to be successful. I am very eagerly waiting for this to come to the market. I am not interested in hair fixing or any artificial kind of thing. I hope the doors are opened at the end of Phase-II trail itself and most importantly by 2008 itself. All the best to Intercytex.
hello whats the deal whats taking so long .
is it the money because im sure we could raise as much as we need to get it moving
and there’s other country where you could clone does not have to be USA if thats the problem
Hi everyone some of you may know me from MTV. as you can probably see i have shot it a long time ago and got sick of hosting a god damn combover, so now have bit the bullet and shaved my head but i look a right nonse! i am hoping that we can have this product marketed by 2008 if its down to funding i will personally invest! Intercytex should be advertising for monthly donations from the public. as im sure the majority of men would be willing to donate.
I bit the bullett and just shave it now, most women surprisingly have less problem than men, ie its usually other men who give you stick about it, but I proudly wear my shaved look now and its ok, Id love hair and hope these trials are successful, Ive no doubt they will be but for most of us we hope its in our lifetime, I doubt Id go for it when Im 85.
To Phil Colins, the shaved look is ok on you, so dont think its a nonse look, I know its not ideal but I think we sometimes become our own worst enemy. I know in the entertainment industry looks play a more important role, but you always seem a confident personality and its our ability to be confident that makes us attractive I think….. anyway thats my thought for the day
[...] Intercytex phase II hair multiplication trial update reddit_url = [...]
I hope this comes true. I’m in my 30’s now and I feel like the rest of you, I lost my youth in my early 20’s and it would be a dream come true not hitting my forties bald. I’ve tried it all and it helped, but never cured it. So if this could actually work and be perfected, I would pay what ever it takes(if I have to work 10 jobs) to be able to brush my hair again. Here’s to hope fellows.
What’s taking so long???? Come on !!! we will donate to intercytex whatever money it’s needed , and from what I’ve seen , to few subjects are being in test trials , intercytex if you need voluntereers , just say so , and all of we will ofer volunterers and in fact we will even pay you to get us as volunteers as much as you want , just get the damn thing going because I’m losing hair as we speak !
Ah, they’re taking their sweet time. They have a working product here and they’re sitting on it without releasing it to the public. It’s probably because all the hair transplant doctors and companies selling hair growth products out there are putting pressure on this company to slow its project. After all, once intercytex releases this baldness cure, these hair transplant doctors and snakeoil companies will be out of business for good! HELLO! Politics, always politics! Might as well accept your baldness and shave your head, folks! I know I did. Trust me, women prefer a clean shaven dude with muscles over a fat slob with a full head of hair any day!
how long does any 1thinks its gna take before this treatment is available to the public? i wish it was ready like now.
I read the hair that grows after ICX-TRC will not be resistant to DHT hormone and it requires medications like propecia and minoxidil to keep the hair growing back and to support the ICX-TRC post treatment ,if at all the medication is supposed to taken after ICX-TRC there won’t be any good as the same old side effects of propecia and minoxidil will menace our hormone levels in the body and i am never interested to hear of these propecia or minoxidil its better to be bald and virile than to succumb to propecia.GOOD LUCK BUDDIES!
Well You know something brother.
It looks like for the first time in our lives dudes, scientist will finally bodyslam and pin baldness brother.
Whoever says shave your head bald to hide hairloss brother is a defeatest.
That would be if I would had gave up before I bodyslammed Andre The Giant brother at Wrestlemania 3 dude.
Your not folling anyone brother with a shaved head dude.
Anyone who see’s some guy with a shaved head nowadays knows he’s realyl balding.
It’d be like loosing your one leg to a shark brother and then so no ne notices you have a missing leg, you amputate the other elg just o look balanced out brother.
Jut do like I do…
Say your prayers to the golden hair gods that this company will have hair multiplication out on the market by 2010, Take your vitamins, ie: Biotin, Saw Palmetto, and wear bandana’s and glue on hair
Whatcha Gonna Do?
Whacha gonna do when hair multiplication runs wild on your baldness!!!!!
no quiero esperar mas, quiero mi pelo
ya!!!
dammit get the cure for this already, we can put a robot on mars yet we can´´t grow hair back, give me a break. Lazy scientists.
I’ve been hearing a cure is 5 yrs away since the mid 80’s and I was in my early 20’s, I am now 44 and still hear its 5 yrs away ,this talk is just a way to keep people buying drugs that don’t work so as to try and keep as much hair as possible till a cure comes; well by the time they have a cure for my generation I’ll probably be in my sixties and won’t care anymore about it; but maybe my son;who is now 8, will be able to go through life without knowing the dissapointment of hairloss. To everyone in there 20’s and 30’s you have at least another 15-20 yrs. minimum till your dissapointment turns to a sense of vitality.
Well you know something brother.
This hair cloning cant come soon enough dude.
Since I’ve gotten divorced brother, my ex wife has been going with a young dude who looks alot like me except he has all his hair.
Talk about a sucker punch brother.
I havent felt this bad since Ultimate Warrior was allowed to beat me at Wrestlemania 6 brother.
Now when I’m with the ladies, I have to keep my bandana on my head all the time, so they dont realize the Hulkster is bald on top brother.
You know what its like to wear a bandana on your head 24/7 brother?
If this hair multiplication thing doesnt come out soon brother, the next procedure I’ll be getting is having my bandana surgically attached to my head brother.
That way when I’m making love to some 24 year old hottie who looks like my ex wife brother, my bandana wont come off brother.
Oh Brother.
Brother brother brother.
Whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when hair cloning runs wild on youuuuuuuuu?
well folks im 38 and am a bodybuilder which required me to use a lot of testosterone over the years and iam now thined in front some only i noticed this i really dont want to lose my hair which is almost to my ass hair cloneing needs to come on
common you guys need to get this rollen already think about it all the money you guys will make i am willing to pay what ever the amount is for this i now about bosley and was thinking about doing a procedure but the results are not like hair cloning so come lets try to have this available by 2010 at the latest
No reports or updates from Intercytex nor Follica… At least let us see the pictures of trial patients…
Where is everyone posting now
Just heard that ICX-TRC is classed as a medicine, and phase 3 trials will take years. How can this be? It’s not taken internally. Surely it must be ready by 2010.
[...] 2007, first preliminary results from the Phase II study were reported. According to the press release, all five participants whose scalps were stimulated before the [...]
We are almost now at 2010 and there’s still NO sign of any improvement or deadline! I’m tellin’ ya folks, give up the silly pipedream of having hair! Shave and save, don’t give the snake oil salesman any of your hard earned moolah! Throw out your rogaine and propecia! By the time you are in your 40s and 50s, must of your peers will be joining you in the balding game anyway…
please send me latest details as i m dying to get the treatment in India?