Exosomes for Hair Growth. Miracle or Not?
It seems like the word of the year for 2019 in the hair world has got to be “Exosomes”. Another name for exosomes is extracellular vesicles (EVs). They contain no DNA or nucleus, and are around 1000 times smaller in size compared to regular cells.
Exosomes are tiny nanoparticles (50-150 nanometers) that are involved in cell-to-cell communication and intercellular signaling. They are secreted by most cell types in the body, and contain both messenger RNA and microRNAs.
Exosomes were first discovered around 35 years ago, and have been studied for several decades in the regenerative medicine field. Note that exosomes from stromal cells cannot become malignant or cancerous.
I have had a few readers email me about exosome treatment for hair loss this year. Initially, after minimal research, I assumed that this was just another platelet-rich plasma (PRP) type of treatment. See my post on whether PRP works for hair loss.
Exosomes to Grow Hair Breakthrough
However, I started paying more attention to exosomes (micro-vesicles) when a few renowned hair transplant surgeons emailed me to praise this fledgling technology.
Moreover, there is even a patent filed all the way back in 2010 and approved in 2019 from Singapore related to using exosomes for hair growth. Towards the end of this post, I cover some past studies in support of using exosomes to promote hair growth.
Dr. Ron Shapiro from Minnesota sounded especially excited about early reports. I do not think that he is offering this treatment at his clinic as yet. However, he is very positive about its potential based on feedback from colleagues. He told me that Dr. Jerry Cooley from North Carolina is extremely knowledgeable about this subject.
Dr. Jerry Cooley
I contacted Dr. Cooley, and he told me that he is currently writing a paper on exosomes and hair growth with Dr. Daniel McGrath. Dr. Cooley thinks that Dr. Mcgrath has the most experience with this technology. He also thinks that “exosomes might represent a real breakthrough in hair loss treatment.”
ExoFlo Exosomes and Direct Biologics
Lo an behold, yesterday, one of this blog’s readers e-mailed me a new video (embeded further below) interview with the same Dr. Daniel McGrath. This doctor is based in Austin, Texas and is using an exosome hair loss treatment called ExoFloTM. This ExoFlo technology is manufactured by a company named Direct Biologics.
Note that there is also another XoFloTM treatment that utilizes mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes. Dr. Ken Williams is conducting a clinical trial on this technology. The exosomes in this case are derived from placental mesenchymal stem cells.
Dr. Daniel McGrath
Dr. McGrath has injected ExoFlo into the back of his own scalp with with very good results. He also got a hair transplant for his frontal hairline five months ago. In the below video, the doctor ends with the following statement: “Stay tuned guys, because I am telling you that this is going to be something big.”
The ExoFlo exosomes are isolated from donated human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Direct Biologics only launched this treatment in July 2019. Direct Biologics. The company seems very professional, and has put strict sterility and quality controls in place, including cGMP and cGTP.
Feedback from other Hair Loss Surgeons
Dr. John Cole
Dr. John Cole has a great write-up about exosomes on his website. He told me last week that he would send me some more information in the near future. I decided to publish this post rather than wait longer. Dr. Cole and exosomes were covered in a video by Hairsite in August 2019. And Dr. Cole was interviewed just last week on The Bald Truth Show. Also see past posts of mine where I discussed Dr. Cole’s work.
Dr. Joseph Greco
Dr. Joseph Greco is one of the pioneers in PRP and CRP technology for hair growth. I have covered him a few times on this blog in the past. He seems to always be involved in any new injection based treatments involving stem cells, cytokines, growth factors and so forth. He has an informative page on exosomes on his website. In an email to me last week, Dr. Greco said the following:
“I’m quite optimistic with the addition of exosomes for hair and with other pain and ortho treatments. Because no one really know’s proper dosing yet and how often treatments are needed, we are doing an outcome study prior to an IRB comparing exosomes verses Wharton’s Jelly UCT. I am injection exosomes and my colleague Dr Edwin Griffin in the other arm of the study is doing the Wharton’s Jelly. Protocols include blood test before and after, global and digital photos with tattoo, patient observation forms and attached is a video of how we doing a cellular assay as part of the study. (the video can be shared). Results will be in 6 to 9 months.”
Note: Dr. Greco sent me the 3 month before and after patient photo, but he does not want it shared on this blog as yet. There is clear hair growth in that photo. The patient had a depleted donor supply from FUT and FUE done somewhere else. If Dr. Greco shares the photo in future, I will paste it here.
Dr. Chiara Insalaco
Dr. Chiara Insalaco is based in Italy and has in the past worked closely with Dr. Cole. She has been involved in some truly ground breaking work in hair loss. For example, see her page on hair bulb stem cells. However, in the case of exosomes, Dr. Insalaco was cautious and told me the following:
“Actually the research is still in progress. We don’t have yet any scientific evidence about it. I will come back to you when we will have more information.”
Past Studies on Exosomes and Hair
Note that there already exist a few studies that have concluded positive effects on hair growth after exosome treatment. A 2017 study on the use of extracellular vesicles derived from MSCs concluded conversion of hair from telogen to anagen.
A 2018 study from China found exosomes to regulate hair follicle development and growth. A 2019 study from South Korea found exosomes to benefit human hair growth. These exosomes were derived from human dermal papilla cells. They promoted hair growth in cultured human hair follicles. Moreover, they also strengthened the hair-inductive capacity of cultured dermal papilla spheres.
Also of interest, several years ago, I covered a new hair loss drug candidate called UK 5099. Earlier this year, scientists successfully tested a combination treatment involving this drug along with exosomes in growing hair. The delivered both products via a unique microneedle patch.
Further reading: A 2011 article titled “Exosome Explosion” suggests that this field only started getting significant traction around that year. And when it comes to hair loss, it seems like we are only getting started in 2019.
Growth Factors
There are 100s of proteins and growth factors in exosomes. Far more than in platelet-rich plasma. Among the ones that have been proven to aid hair growth and covered on this blog in the past include FGF, HGF, IGF and VEGF. Make sure to read my post on PRP and growth factors for more information on how they benefit scalp hair.
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