Questions for Desmond at Hair Congress 2014

[HairBane]

Dr. Roland Lauster/Beren Ataç

1. If the bioreactor creates exact duplicates of follicles that function as normal follicles, is it necessary to have them go through clinical trials for implanting considering hair transplants achieve this and have been approved as a method for commercial use.

Dr. Cotsarelis/Follica

1. Does the wounding method damage the scalp and dermis to the point of jeopardizing existing follicles that produce terminal hairs?

I have another question for Dr. Cotsarelis, one which I'm sure is the same one many of you already have, but I'll discuss that later.

1. Dr. Roland Lauster/Beren Ataç:

It's my understanding that the bioreactor is intended to create follicles for studying but if the bioreactor can make follicles why not just use the bioreactor to create new follicles and then implant those follicles into balding person's scalps?


3. To Cotseralis: Are you still working on a wounding-based therapy to treat hair loss?

4. (If Cotseralis says he's still working on a wounding based therapy to treat hair loss) To Cotseralis: How far along is your wounding based therapy to treat hair loss?

+1 to all of these.

I'd like some clarification about Follica's trials: Are they working on using FGF9, lithium gluconate, or something else? Are they using already-approved substances, and if so, can this fast-track their trials? By how much? Are their current results cosmetically significant and consistent enough to represent a complete cure?

For any researcher such as Christiano, Jahoda, Lauster, etc. I think we should ask their opinions on the recent Chinese developments and trials with expanding DP cells in culture, and how these complement their research (such as UPenn's epithelial cell replication, for Cotsarelis). Are they aware of these developments? Skeptical of them? What is their general understanding of the current state of progression towards full hair multiplication?

[hgs1989]

does your method produce cosmetically significant results? a timeline if possible?

[efedrez]

To Dr. Cotsarelis/Follica

How often does one needs to apply the procedure in order to maintain noticeable benefits from the treatment?

Is it a live time treatment?

[hellouser]

I have another question for Dr. Cotsarelis, one which I'm sure is the same one many of you already have, but I'll discuss that later.

Alright, so to touch up on this, the most obvious question is this:

'When will Follica's method be released as a commercial treatment for the public?'

But this is a dangerous question to ask depending on HOW its asked. If you simply word that question longer than that, it gives him way too much time to think about what answer he is going to give. That question, essentially the most important one of all, needs to be asked in such a manner that he doesn't put much thought and gives a straight answer. The question/answer should go something along the lines of:

Desmond: You're name is Dr. George Cotsarelis, correct?
Cotsarelis: Yes.
Desmond: You work at the University of Pennsylvania, correct?
Cotsarelis: Yes.
Desmond: You founded the wounded theory of creating follicles, correct?
Cotsarelis: Yes.
Desmond: When will Follica's treatment be available to the public?
Cotsarelis: *ANSWER*

You need to catch him off guard after firing off rapid questions with easy one word answers. Otherwise, you're bound to hear something like this instead:

'Follica's treatment is very close to a release, if everything goes smoothly, it's possible we'll have something in 2-5 years'

I do not want to hear another one of those answers.

On the flip side, I.D. Walker on Hair Loss Talk has the following to say:

If you want to squeeze the wiggle room life out of him/them then don't give the slippery Doc Cots an opportunity. In a very short time he'll have to be impressed that you have already anticipated his unseemly evasive old self, but you have to do this tactfully because as a general rule that's been long time established physicians are egotistical, borderline narcissists, and are easily offended. Counter his answer, that is assuming he cooperates, and shake him gently and without pause. Here might be an example that relates to naturally our favorite question ; Sir I am in communication with one thousand plus hair loss sufferers and investors/ clients who are earnestly banking on the prospect that your tireless research is coming to a head and with that a new and viable treatment/cure will be available soon. In your present opinion, is your current projection of so and so many years still status quo and if not do you have a timeline yet in mind and would you be so gracious as to expound on what is it about this new and exciting revised projection date that will prevent this from going full circle once more? It's a bit verbose but it may be enough to hold his interests and possibly pin a more precise release date. It's tricky and this pseudo scenario may not be realistic. The man may be obstinate or he may not have a working treatment/cure at all. If he could admit that he had zero progress we'ld be more apt to forgive him. Empty promises will eventually catch up with all of them.

So... we need to play psychologist on this front.

[breakbot]

Desmond: You're name is Dr. George Cotsarelis, correct?
Cotsarelis: Yes.
Desmond: You work at the University of Pennsylvania, correct?
Cotsarelis: Yes.
Desmond: You founded the wounded theory of creating follicles, correct?
Cotsarelis: Yes.
Desmond: When will Follica's treatment be available to the public?
Cotsarelis: *ANSWER*

It isn't necessary trying to be a psychologist to take an answer from him, if they have a viable cure Cotsarelis will answer, if his answer will be not clear i suppose they have nothing or they are at an early stage which means 5 years etc...

[hellouser]

It isn't necessary trying to be a psychologist to take an answer from him, if they have a viable cure Cotsarelis will answer, if his answer will be not clear i suppose they have nothing or they are at an early stage which means 5 years etc...

That's not true because he works for Follica. Cure or no cure at all, Follica and Dr. Cotsarelis are going to give you a very typical corporate answer that won't actually give you a concrete answer.

[breakbot]

That's not true because he works for Follica. Cure or no cure at all, Follica and Dr. Cotsarelis are going to give you a very typical corporate answer that won't actually give you a concrete answer.

If Follica has something the market game will force him to give us a straight answer, if they are far or something he will give us the usuall stuff.
It's just my opinion on the way the market works.
Although it will be very difficult for Desmond to persuate those scientists to discuss with him, i hope to make it.

[hellouser]

If Follica has something the market game will force him to give us a straight answer, if they are far or something he will give us the usuall stuff.
It's just my opinion on the way the market works.
Although it will be very difficult for Desmond to persuate those scientists to discuss with him, i hope to make it.

I thought about this earlier actually;

Suppose Follica gets the go ahead with their treatment. Apparently they're using known chemicals to produce follicles with wounding. Would they not have to reveal in their patents or SOMEWHERE what those chemicals are specifically?

If such is the case, what would prevent someone doing their own rendition of the treatment if we knew what the chemicals were? Suppose someone in India wanted to copy the process and run it there for a fraction of the price?

At some point, we're bound to find out what exactly they're using. But no way in hell is Dr. Cotsarelis going to answer that. To be honest, I dont care if he does or doesn't. I want a clear answer on the set date for a release of the treatment. The wait time has gone on for long enough.

[JJJJrS]

I think it's totally ridiculous to be asking about release dates and things like that when we don't even know how effective, if at all, the treatment is.

I'm more interested in getting a general sense of where things stand. So basically how far off are we from an effective treatment, what are the major obstacles holding the research back, is there anything interesting being worked on in the background/pipeline, and whether there's anything the online hair loss community can do to help out. Obviously, to get answers to these questions, you're going to have to poll as many of the top researchers there as possible before you can develop some type of consensus.

[breakbot]

I thought about this earlier actually;

I want a clear answer on the set date for a release of the treatment.

This is the question i refer to.