ACell Hair Multiplication Study at NHI
Last week I wrote about the ACell presentation at the recent International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) meeting that may have opened the possibility for a patient’s hair to be multiplied in his or her own scalp. ACell’s MatriStem has had some early success with growing hairs that were plucked and then placed into recipient sites on the patient’s scalp, and although this is a major breakthrough, significant work remains before this becomes a practical hair loss treatment.
For those that missed my post from last week, here is a little background —
- ACell, Inc. has developed and refined an Extracellular Matrix (ECM), a natural biological material derived from porcine (pig) tissue. When ACell’s MatriStem product is placed into a surgical site or wound, it is reabsorbed and replaced with new, more supple tissue, rather than a firm scar. The ECM stimulates the body’s own cells to form new tissue specific to that site. When applied to hairs plucked from elsewhere on the body, this is called “auto-cloning”, as new hairs are derived from the process.
We are currently studying the use of ACell for scalp hair multiplication (auto-cloning) as well as the facilitation of wound healing in follicular unit transplantation procedures. For those individuals interested in auto-cloning, we will be happy to see you in the office for a more in-depth discussion of the opportunity. Details will not be discussed over the phone but will be covered by the doctor during your consultation.
People interested in working with us in a study can participate at no cost, but because of the newness of the process, we will be selective as to which patients we accept. A limited number of patients who are not selected for a study may be eligible to obtain this procedure as well for a special fee. We will also be using ACell in the donor area of on our traditional strip surgery patients to promote better wound healing at no additional cost. Please call my office at 310-553-9113 to set up an appointment for a qualifying examination.
How does this post not have a hundred responses by now?
Is this real?
For a very skeptical doctor who usually and routinely mentions the need for extensive peer reviewed research…seems someone is jumping on the gravy train
@Chris: What an ignorant ill-informed thing to say to someone who has pioneered both the leading transplant techniques that are currently used world over. I’d like to know how much you have given back to the world even in exchange for money, let alone for free. As Dr. Rassman has repeatedly said, he is skeptical because he is a firm believer in “Safety First” for his patients. A-CELL seems to be working for now, but imagine if Dr. Rassman tried a new, experimental, technique on your scalp and it failed. Judging by the tone of your post, you’d be calling your lawyer at the first opportunity. Shame on you.
Dr Rassman, I may have misunderstood your article but are you suggesting that you will be conducting trials at your clinic?
If thats correct then great I think were all interested to see how it unfolds.
It will be great to see how this experiment comes out. If it works, that will be really awesome.
Hope for the best!
Wow! This is probably the most exciting news since finasteride. And this is much more promising. Unlimited amount of donor hair.
The doc still has not addressed why in his previous post about Acell he said Dr. Cooley’s results are less than 50% growth while Dr. Cooley has maintained all along – and proved – that his results are actually 75% regrowth and rising as he refines his technique.
Err, have you guys been the the Acell website ? Looks so budget its not even funny . All of these guys are crooks preying on the weak . I can appreciate how some people can see hope in this, but come on guys, you have to ask yourselves one simple question . Where is all the funding ? If they really were onto something huge here companies would invest BILLIONS into it . These guys can’t even afford a decent website or good stock photography . and you have to “pay for your materials” in the “study” . shame
Jack,
I understand where you’re coming from, but i do think you’re incorrect. Acell has been featured on various world news segments, including 60 minutes for their research.
Granted their site is pretty budget, they seem to be the closest to a new treatment option that we’ve seen. I think we got evidence of that by Dr. Rassman’s post. He is usually brutally honest with new treatment options, and here he is offering a study at NHI utilizing this research.
And why do you think it’s unheard of that NHI/Dr. Rassman is making patients pay for the materials?
i am also sceptical of this A-Cell, ive spoken to alot of surgeons and apparently this ‘type’ of substance has been around for a while and has shown little promise or application, the fact that A-cell markets their product as a substance for “2nd degree burns” is very suspicious as these burns need very little treatment in the first place.
I hope like crazy that this works but i believe it will be the skill of the restoration surgeon not the substance that can pull this off.
Who gives a crap what their website looks like. I know of heaps of big corporate sites that suck!
Even the histogen site could have been put together by a 12 year that knows WordPress… do your research dude and then comment…
i hope this works i really do
but the surgeon i was speaking to said that acute
amputation of the fingertip can sometimes grow back in children
without the aid of regenerative bioscaffolds.
so im just saying be sceptical, this A cell is just pig bladder after all
it is not magic powder.
i hope it works,
I for one think that US hair transplant surgeons LOVE the idea of ACell because it’s a great marketing tool that brings in more business. It is arguably based on sound ideas, but the big caveat is that NOTHING HAS BEEN PROVEN YET, and in fact, not even the smallest modicum of proof has been offered by anyone “testing” it, because the “tests” haven’t been done remotely according to scientific standards.
But the US hair transplant community loves it anyway, because it’s basically an off-the-shelf product, already approved by the FDA, that requires of them almost zero investment to incorporate into their practices and attract new patients.
What sensible doctor/entrepreneur could possibly argue with that?
Hi Dr.
Just wondered if you have any results from the ACell study you’ve been conducting and if not when do you anticipate them?
Regards
Mike