Replicel: How to Grow Hair Even if You're Cue Ball Bald!

Replicel Life Science Inc. is developing a technology that may become the world’s very first, minimally invasive, permanent baldness cure. Replicel’s founders and researchers are from established universities in Canada and Germany and have studied immunology, hair biology and hair growth for more than two decades.

In 2000s, Dr. Kevin McElwee and Dr. Rolf Hoffman discovered that dermal sheath cup-derived stem cells could potentially induce the formation of new hair follicles in animals as well as better quality hair growth. A patent for this discovery was filed in 2003, and is accepted in Europe and Australia and is now pending in the Canada, Japan and the United States. Replicel’s current work involves translating this discovery into a permanent hair loss treatment, perhaps even a baldness cure. The procedure has been in the development phase for the past nine years.

This hair loss treatment works by using autologous cell implantation technology; dermal sheath cup cells from a patient’s own healthy hair follicles and are replicated into the millions over a three-month period. These cells are reintroduced into areas affected by hair loss and theoretically this should cause the development of new hair follicles.

Currently Replicel’s treatment can potentially be used as a baldness cure for both men and women, trauma induced hair loss, traction alopecia, chemotherapy induced hair loss, scarring alopecias, congenital alopecia and congenital hypotrichoses.

The hair loss treatment was first tested on mice and proved to be safe and effective. Human clinical trials are being carried out at the moment. The primary aim of these trials is to determine whether this treatment can provide a safe and reliable hair growth solution. The trials will be divided into two phases, the efficacy and safety of the treatment will be studied in the first phase and the second phase will involve a larger number of participants and the amount of dose will be manipulated.

If it is found to be effective and safe in the human trials, Replicel’s stem cell hair loss treatment may not only provide hope for those suffering from different types of balding, but it can also be very profitable. It being a non-invasive treatment and not involving any animal products will make it popular among people with different religious beliefs.

In conclusion, Replicel’s procedure as a permanent hair loss treatment does seem promising in the light of the research that has been carried out but more human clinical trials need to be carried out before a final verdict can be given.