Robot to Cure Baldness

Saturday October 14, 2006 in: Hair Loss Tag(s):

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair restoration, baldness, alopecia

At present, a number of hair restoration procedures are already in place, most of which have produced a number of satisfied patients. But the British Government has shown its willingness to further push the envelope in the fight against male pattern baldness and alopecia in women with its decision to grant a 1.85-million pound grant to a UK biotech company that is developing a robot designed to grow hair follicle cells.

The company, called Intercytex, intends to use the assistance from the British Government to make the cell-growing process automatic. BBC News tells us more:

Working alongside The Automation Partnership, which developed the robotic system for storing and growing the cells, it hopes to develop commercial scale production of the hair follicles - also known as dermal papilla cells.

The treatment was initially tested on seven men with male pattern baldness, five of whom grew hair, and is now being tested on a further 20.

During a 30-minute operation, hair follicles are taken from the back of the neck, then grown in culture until they number in the thousands.

They are then injected under the skin where the hair needs to grow back.

Intercytex, set up by biochemist Paul Kemp, is based in Cambridge and Manchester.