Firm wins £1.8m to treat baldness

12 April 2012

A biotechnology firm that is building a robot to help treat baldness has been awarded £1.85 million by the Government.

Intercytex, which is based in Cambridge and Manchester, has successfully tested a treatment that involves taking hair follicles from the back of the neck, multiplying them and then reimplanting the cells to induce new growth.

The company will use the grant to develop a robotic system for growing the cells, so that more people can potentially benefit.

The grant, awarded by the Department of Trade and Industry's Technology Programme, could contribute to a commercial scale production of the hair follicles - also known as dermal papilla cells.

The new method could be used to treat alopecia in women, as well as male pattern baldness.

Around 65% of all males would like some more hair before they are 50 years old, according to the Trichological Society.

Baldness is most commonly caused by the male hormone dihydrotestosterone, which causes follicles to shrink and thin before disappearing completely.

The hair regeneration programme would involve a 30-minute operation in which hair follicles are removed under anaesthetic, then grown in culture until they multiply and can be reinjected.

Nick Higgins, chief executive officer of Intercytex, said he was delighted with the funding and said that it would allow the firm to treat "large numbers of people".

A spokesman for DTI said Intercytex had deserved a grant from the Technology Programme, which has made £12.6 million available to "innovative collaborative projects" this year alone.

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