9th World Congress for Hair Research

The 9th World Congress for Hair Research is set to kick off tomorrow, November 18, 2015.

These conferences bring a lot of hope and excitement to the online hair seeker community. It is true that there is usually more information released around the time of the hair congress than the rest of the year, but, perhaps the greatest impact the congress will have will be amongst the researchers themselves following the congress. The congress is not usually a place to unveil a new product or release date, but is a meeting place for the sharing of ideas and research. This can lead to mingling and collaboration from some of the greatest minds in the hair growth field.

The Final Program Book for the Congress can be found here. It’s worth a browse through for the average hair seeker and contains a multitude of fascinating tidbits. The information/presentations that I am most looking forward to at this conference are:

– Gail Naughton presenting HSC information and hopefully announcing an update about the final trial for approval in Japan.

– Samumed presenting information about their curious compound SM04554. They have just finished their phase 2 trial, but will be presenting the results from their phase 1 trial at this congress. Crafty.

– Just about everything else. (laughs) There’s really so much, including presentations on a new technique to repair hair transplant scars, Christiano’s research, Tsuji’s research, gene therapy for the prevention of hair disorders, a new light emitting diode that can proliferate DP cells, and anything involving stem cells and hair follicle regeneration. All of those subjects are mentioned in the program book.

While reading through the program, I also noticed a segment of the congress titled “Coffee with the Experts” that seems rather fun and interesting (pg 23 of the program). Essentially, there is a floor layout of 27 tables with one or two researchers stationed at each table to present some information and have discussion. The participants are allowed to mingle around and visit as many tables as they have time for. Sounds like a hoot. I’ve also noticed from the program, there are a large number of posters that will be up for display at the congress. You can read the titles for each poster in the program pdf. Some interesting topics include: “Hair Follicle Neogenesis and Regenerative Cutaneous Wound Healing with Tocotrienol” and “Wharton Gel Complex: Rejuvenating Hair Follicles.”

I will be soliciting as many digital copies of poster presentations as I can get from the presenters. There will also be much news from the congress relayed on the online hair forums. Next year, I am hoping to attend the 10th Hair Congress and report on it. It happens to be in Japan.

Until next time, be well.

Updates:

I’ve just received an email from Samumed stating that they will be displaying their phase 1 poster on their website following the completion of the WCHR. Here’s the link to the presentation slides of the poster. Quick take on it, all of these results are based on how the patients viewed their own progress. I do not see a mention of Trichoscan statistics, which is fine. I believe in the phase 2 study, which they should be presenting within the next two months, they will be displaying their statistical results.

Here’s an interview of Lee Buckler talking about Replicel’s updates from the WCHR.

Here’s an interview of Dr. Gail Naughton talking about Histogen’s updates following the WCHR.

These interviews provide poignant updates about each company’s development timeline. Shiseido will be initiating their Japan-approval study within a matter of weeks. When all goes well with that, they will be able to offer Replicel’s RCH-01 hair regeneration therapy in 2018. That’s pretty neat.  Also, Dr. Naughton announced that Histogen is currently active in getting a phase 3 trial initiated in Mexico or Asian countries which could lead to a product release in late 2017/early 2018. For someone living in the US, like myself, going to Mexico in late 2017 for some HSC injections sounds rather appealing.