Dr. Cotsarelis New Discovery that may finally cure Baldness (June 3rd, 2013)

[Vox]

Has anyone read the description for the FGF9 research chemical?:

FGF-9
FGF-9 is an autocrine and paracrine prostatic growth factor expressed by prostatic stromal cells. FGF-9 induces osteoblast proliferation and new bone formation in a bone organ assay. FGF-9 is produced by many prostate cancer cells and contributes to prostate cancer-induced new bone formation and may participate in the osteoblastic progression of prostate cancer in bone. It is also a an autocrine and/or paracrine neurotrophic factor that promotes the survival of motoneurons and upregulates choline acetyl-transferase activity.FGF-9 enhances survival of AChE-positive neurons, increases their mean soma size. It also up- regulates their choline acetyltransferase activity as potently as NGF and the effect is greater than that elicited by bFGF, CNTF, or GDNF. FGF-9 acts as a survival factor for neurons but does not promote neurite outgrowth. FGF-9 has been shown to mediate its effects by binding to FGF receptors. It efficiently activates the FGFR2c splice form of FGFR2 and the FGFR3b and FGFR3c splice isoforms of FGFR3.

Lol, Yeah... I think ill wait for their trial results.

Now we know it, this is how we will get ... horny.

[imom]

I think some of you are jumping the gun here.

If new follicles are created, they will most likely form in the same way that their neighbouring follicles were formed, which leaves them just as vulnerable to all the same hair loss problems.

We don't need more follicles, we need to get existing follicles working for good.

[UK_]

I think some of you are jumping the gun here.

If new follicles are created, they will most likely form in the same way that their neighbouring follicles were formed, which leaves them just as vulnerable to all the same hair loss problems.

We don't need more follicles, we need to get existing follicles working for good.

In 2011, Follica released research that showed the bald scalp in men with androgenetic alopecia retains hair follicle stem cells but lacks CD200-rich and CD34-positive hair follicle progenitor cells. Due to this problem, the hair follicles are producing microscopic hairs beneath the surface of the skin, their research therefore is aimed at bringing to the market a solution that will enable said stem cells/hair follicles to 'reactive' by producing the necessary CD-200 and CD34-positive hair follicle progenitor cells.

By researching the cascade of events that takes place during the wound healing process, they may have just done so.

I think it will have to be a case of mild to medium scalp pertubation and timing an injection of FGF9 appropriately to nudge the immune response into the creation of a new hair follicle, this is true regenerative medicine here, instead of the body going down the route of creating a scar, we're finding the key compounds from nature to induce regeneration of organs (hair follicles).

It's exciting yes, and we have to all understand something, that if researchers can't figure out ways to regenerate hair follicles, then they're going to have an equal amount of difficulty in regenerating larger more complex organs. Do you believe that will happen? I dont, especially when I look at the work coming out of Wake Forest (WFIRM); It's more a question of time now.

[Thinning87]

I think some of you are jumping the gun here.

If new follicles are created, they will most likely form in the same way that their neighbouring follicles were formed, which leaves them just as vulnerable to all the same hair loss problems.

We don't need more follicles, we need to get existing follicles working for good.

Another genius schooling UCSF and the UPenn med schools.

Thank you now they will realize they are all idiots!

[Desmond84]

Guys,

If you read the threads from 2007-2010 regarding Follica, you see a lot of talking about being cured by 2010-2012! Dr. Cotsarelis himself was found quoting that "IF everything pans out...we will have this available by 2010!" Back in 2007 though, all they had were mice data.

The problem is Proof of Concept studies start off with mouse and then move onto Human tissue...

So far, all of these recent breakthroughs have been in rats and such theories have not been tested on actual human grafts!

So, we shouldn't jump the gun and start yelling out "cure", when Dr Cotsarelis has NOT shown any increase in number of hair follicles on a HUMAN skin graft! For some evolutionary reasons, mice are meant to be incredibly hairy and triggering hair growth in them is far easier than humans!

Let's keep a watchful eye on Follica...as they may be onto something! But until we have HUMAN data be critical to all media releases.

[burtandernie]

Its a possible thing in the future that could turn out to be something, but I mean we have no concrete studies or results in humans yet. Until that happens its still theorycrafting so hopefully they have some results already, but until we see them who knows how they spin this. Growing 100 new hairs is new hair growth, but its not going to mean a whole lot for men that are bald so it also has to compound results to add up to some significant amount of hair.

[Thinning87]

Guys,

If you read the threads from 2007-2010 regarding Follica, you see a lot of talking about being cured by 2010-2012! Dr. Cotsarelis himself was found quoting that "IF everything pans out...we will have this available by 2010!" Back in 2007 though, all they had were mice data.

The problem is Proof of Concept studies start off with mouse and then move onto Human tissue...

So far, all of these recent breakthroughs have been in rats and such theories have not been tested on actual human grafts!

So, we shouldn't jump the gun and start yelling out "cure", when Dr Cotsarelis has NOT shown any increase in number of hair follicles on a HUMAN skin graft! For some evolutionary reasons, mice are meant to be incredibly hairy and triggering hair growth in them is far easier than humans!

Let's keep a watchful eye on Follica...as they may be onto something! But until we have HUMAN data be critical to all media releases.

That is true but keep in mind they are not just doing tests on mice, they are comparing between us and mice and looking at what can work for us. This is the same type of thing Histogen is doing so there is no way these growth factors do not work. It's just a matter of figuring out what can be used in the best way. I definitely have a lot of faith in them and I don't understand why wouldn't you after having been really excited about things as blurry as team tokyo

[hairandthere]

Guys,

So far, all of these recent breakthroughs have been in rats and such theories have not been tested on actual human grafts!

So, we shouldn't jump the gun and start yelling out "cure", when Dr Cotsarelis has NOT shown any increase in number of hair follicles on a HUMAN skin graft! For some evolutionary reasons, mice are meant to be incredibly hairy and triggering hair growth in them is far easier than humans!

Let's keep a watchful eye on Follica...as they may be onto something! But until we have HUMAN data be critical to all media releases.

First post here. Hi Desmond. I'm definitely not here to antagonize. I appreciate very much the information that you bring to light on this forum.

Are you saying that the media releases and statements made by one of the Follica co-founders are fabricated? Or did you just miss the information that they have grown a new hair follicle in a human for the first time in history?

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2013/06/03/hair-raising-follica-study-could-point-to-baldness-therapy/

Follica said in its statement that it has already done preclinical tests that combine devices it has created to disrupt the skin with several unspecified “known and novel drugs.” It also claims to have run “a series” of human clinical trials, including a mid-stage study that has caused new hair follicles to be produced in humans. Unfortunately for our rabid readers, however, Olle and Follica aren’t offering many details from these studies, other than to indicate that the platform is proving to work so far and that the research has paved the way for the company’s next step: to try a specific device configuration with a specific, well-known and studied drug (meaning it wouldn’t have to be as extensively tested as a new chemical) in a group of human patients.

[Pentarou]

The Fgf9 aspect was patented in 2010.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/WO2010056759A1.html

[UK_]

Guys,

If you read the threads from 2007-2010 regarding Follica, you see a lot of talking about being cured by 2010-2012! Dr. Cotsarelis himself was found quoting that "IF everything pans out...we will have this available by 2010!" Back in 2007 though, all they had were mice data.

The problem is Proof of Concept studies start off with mouse and then move onto Human tissue...

So far, all of these recent breakthroughs have been in rats and such theories have not been tested on actual human grafts!

So, we shouldn't jump the gun and start yelling out "cure", when Dr Cotsarelis has NOT shown any increase in number of hair follicles on a HUMAN skin graft! For some evolutionary reasons, mice are meant to be incredibly hairy and triggering hair growth in them is far easier than humans!

Let's keep a watchful eye on Follica...as they may be onto something! But until we have HUMAN data be critical to all media releases.

Des, as far as I am aware, and correct me if I'm wrong but Follica have seen success in their Phase IIa with human test subjects:

Follica has conducted preclinical testing of proprietary device configurations for skin disruption in combination with a number of known and novel drugs. The company has run a series of human clinical trials, including a Phase IIa trial, which have demonstrated follicular neogenesis in humans for the first time. These trials pave the way for the development of a breakthrough combination of a device to produce targeted skin perturbation coupled with a well-studied drug compound.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new...ess-2013-06-03

Their questions as to "why doesnt this work in humans as it does in mice" were what they were stating back in 2007/2008, they have clearly discovered that humans lack FGF9 during the wound healing process, mice (through evolutionary necessity) have maintained that gene and it is upregulated in mice during the wound healing process.

I have to also add that this is very important news, they have updated their 'news' section on the Follica website, even when they made the PGD2 discovery, they did not add it to the 'news' section of the website.

Maybe this will make Aderans/Replicel and Histogen speed up, because Follica seem to be racing ahead to Phase III.

[Thinning87]

well there still would be phase 2B... but I like your spirit

[Dazza]

As far as FgF-9 goes i dont think they have actually tested this on humans. The phase trials they are talking about are their old "wounding" + lithium trials.

If FgF-9 is Key would they need to start trials again or could they bounce off their earlier "wounding" + lithium trials?

[UK_]

As far as FgF-9 goes i dont think they have actually tested this on humans. The phase trials they are talking about are their old "wounding" + lithium trials.

If FgF-9 is Key would they need to start trials again or could they bounce off their earlier "wounding" + lithium trials?

Perhaps the lithium is what causes an upregulation of FGF9 during wound healing? Whatever, Follica have published an article which states they have seen new hair follicle growth for the first time in humans - this is just incredible news.

[Dazza]

Perhaps the lithium is what causes an upregulation of FGF9 during wound healing? Whatever, Follica have published an article which states they have seen new hair follicle growth for the first time in humans - this is just incredible news.

Not from what i read.

After doing some research on FgF-9 looks like this was known in 2010.

http://www.hair site.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-68219-page-0-order-time-category-0.html
(just remove the space in-between hair and site)

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/WO2010056759A1.html

his FgF-9 patent filed in 2009

[UK_]

Not from what i read.

After doing some research on FgF-9 looks like this was known in 2010.

http://www.hair site.com/hair-loss/board_entry-id-68219-page-0-order-time-category-0.html
(just remove the space in-between hair and site)

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/WO2010056759A1.html

his FgF-9 patent filed in 2009

And did they finish the trials for FGF9 for humans in 2010? Obviously they've been testing that method from 2010 - present and have released results now showing new hair growth in humans.

I dont see how you can say they havent been working with FGF9 in humans:

The authors first showed that Fgf9 is up-regulated in the dermis immediately before new hair follicle structures start to appear. Reducing Fgf9 expression decreased hair follicle formation, while overexpressing Fgf9 led to two to three-fold increase in the number of new hair follicles. The study supports the notion that disruption of the skin produces a window of opportunity during which the cells in the regenerating epidermis can be pushed towards becoming a hair follicle, and highlights the potential for using Fgf9 therapeutically to boost the formation of new hair follicles during this window.

Follica has conducted preclinical testing of proprietary device configurations for skin disruption in combination with a number of known and novel drugs (lithium?). The company has run a series of human clinical trials, including a Phase IIa trial, which have demonstrated follicular neogenesis in humans for the first time. These trials pave the way for the development of a breakthrough combination of a device to produce targeted skin perturbation coupled with a well-studied drug compound (???).

For the record, Follica have never released a news item that contained information stating they have grown new hair follicles in humans. This is a first.