Shiseido’s Dermal Sheath Cup Cell Hair Multiplication Treatment Has Arrived
Today might be among the five most important days in the hair loss world since I first started writing this blog in 2013. Shiseido’s decade-plus-long much awaited dermal sheath cup (DSC) cell hair multiplication (cell culturing and implantation) procedure is finally here for patients starting July 1, 2024. Albeit only in Japan, where they have favorable regulations for faster in-clinic use when it comes to regenerative medicine and stem cell based technologies.
Shiseido (Japan) completed small-scale Phase 3 equivalent trials for this hair multiplication technology in 2023. The results were positive but modest, with no major side effects. I hope the results will improve as they use this autologous DSC cell transplantation process in more patients and gain experience.
For now, you should only expect existing scalp hair thickening and perhaps minimal hair regrowth if you are lucky. Thicker hair in and of itself could lead to a slowdown in further damage from the ravages of dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
You can read today’s full announcement here (h/t “Theo” for the super find). The technology is described as having been developed by Tokyo Medical University Hospital, Kyorin University Hospital, and Shiseido. Interestingly, they leave out any mention of Replicel (Canada), with which Shiseido has had past legal issues after a technology sharing agreement went wrong.
S-DSC® Hair Regenerative Medicine
Shiseido has also created a new website related to S-DSC hair regenerative medicine, where the “S” stands for Shiseido. The about S-DSC page is very interesting. S-DSC® treatment promotes hair growth by supplementing the thinning areas of your scalp with your own cultured DSC cells.
They only make claims that existing hair will get thicker and more voluminous, while scalp inflammation will be reduced. Perhaps they also want to temper expectations, even if some people may get good regrowth? Interestingly, women might get better results then men.
The key person who led the development of this technology is Professor Emeritus (Department of Dermatology, Tokyo Medical University) Dr. Ryoji Tsuboi. I feel like a genius for using his image as my main one on my global hair loss research page from the get go. I originally picked Dr. Tsuboi over Dr. Takashi Tsuji just due to a more interesting image of the former at a white board.
Hair Regenerative Outpatient Treatment Begins in Japan on July 1, 2024
Associate Professor Shiro Niyama of the Department of Dermatology at Toho University Ohashi Hospital will start offering this “hair regenerative treatment for thinning hair” using cultured autologous hair bulb root sheath cell products (S-DSC®) from July 1st 2024. Patients will be required to get a referral, and also be responsible for their own costs due to the elective nature of the procedure. Note that this treatment is available for both men and women.
In the procedure itself:
- First, healthy scalp tissue of about 5 mm diameter is taken from a non-balding area such as the back of the head.
- From this, DSC cells are isolated.
- S-DSC is produced after about 6 weeks of culture and quality inspection (a total of 7 vials of S-DSC can be produced).
- Once production is completed, patients will return to the hospital and the cultured DSC cells will be injected with a special syringe.
Also check out the November 2023 study from the same team that is titled: “High migratory activity of dermal sheath cup cells associated with the clinical efficacy of autologous cell-based therapy for pattern hair loss.” The conclusion was that ITGA6-positive DSC cells, with superior migratory activity, may promote cell migration into nearby hair follicles.
I remember reading about this treatment on your page years ago, when it was considered a proper cure. Such a disappointment unfortunately, though I’m surprised they released a product at all not hearing about them for a long time.
Sorry Admin, this does not seem any better than Fin. There is no info on how low it will last. Whether continual treatments will be needed. No info on the cost and sounds just like CosmeRNA.
Surely this might be better than nothing. How much better?
Agreed… it will be like cosmerna and will go quiet after initial buzz. It’s surprising that no “hair loss experts” are even talking about it…
They only claim hair thickening. All forums and blogs have been talking about Shiseido and Replicel for over 10 years. The new links in this post are due to “Theo” e-mailing me. They are Japanese sites…I would have never found the Toho University site by myself.
Even they do not claim it to be better than Fin Abbot. Did you read the entire post?
It is a miracle that we can now get our own hair cells cultured and multiplied and then implanted back into our scalps.
Is there any possibility that this can be repeatedly performed to eventually culture the entire scalp?
I’ve been a reader of your blog for years. And years back I couldn’t afford any of these. I pray that this is the final nail in the coffin.
Hair thickening? As in increasing hair shaft diameter? Any word on pricing? This is great news and hopefully leads to a way to increase new hair growth, the panacea we are all looking for.
Rick C. check out my past post on Shiseido where I discuss their Phase 3 results (link is in the post).
As far as cost, it says the following on their new site:
“This treatment is offered as an elective medical service, so please contact each medical institution for details on costs.”
They plan to offer this at more centers in Japan, but initially, only Toho University Ohashi Hospital.
Incredible news, even if it ends up being just hair thickening (as long as guaranteed, unlike PRP). Congratulations on your 10+ years of patience covering Shiseido and Replicel Admin!
Today is a great day for the hair loss world!!! I was sure that sooner rather than later this treatment was going to be effective because it was not a complex process and this day has arrived and I am glad that it came like this, by surprise, instead of following schedules that are always delayed or never arrive. until the end!!! I am very happy for everyone and especially for you, administrator, for all the informative work that you have done for many years, and that, like the other readers, you have felt the desperation of following the work of so many companies that have never materialized and that at the same time The final solution for us for so many years has been hair grafts, finasteride and minoxidil as truly effective methods. Well, the time to continue taking these medications daily has changed and we will be able to preserve our hair with a transfer of resistant DP cells from the donor area to replace the weakened and lost ones affected by DHT. Great news, congratulations on your work and your perseverance administrator.
Thanks Alvaro!!
And everyone, please let me know if your comments do not get approved in 2 days. I had to remove the old spam comment detection plugin and try something else unfortunately. It is time consuming.
Admin, you are a genius! Hopefully the first of many new treatments to come over the next few years.
Geniuses do not use “2020” in their domain names :-)
Ok, how about a comedic genius! ;-)
Admin, I told you that you just need to add an “s” at the end of the website title to buy yourself 9 more years with this domain. So, “Hair Loss Cure 2020s” … Done :-)
True :-) But I hate the idea of redirecting web pages.
While I am a very positive person I think this is getting a little too optimistic… it may serve as a very short term therapy but I don’t think it’s going to be anything better than the current medical treatments we have today. Will be expensive and very little effectiveness… it sounds like another Cosmerna or PRP like treatment. It may catch buzz for a couple weeks or months and then will fizzle. We need gene editing or full blown hair cloning for a cure.
I am just excited that a country is allowing cell culturing and implantation to anyone who gets referred.
A first. Japan and South Korea will lead the way it seems. Shiseido’s Phase 3 trials were small and inadequate my US standards. Yet they are allowed to proceed.
And we have had no FDA approved hair loss treatments since Finasteride and Minoxidil.
Albeit good news, isn’t this just hair transplant, now with more hairs to plug? Please correct me if I’m missing something.
No friend, this technique consists of extracting a small amount of hair from the donor area (which is not affected by alopecia), and from those hairs extracting the cells of the dermal papilla, or hair bulb, that is, where a hair is born and multiply them. These cells are what determine the length, thickness and color of the hair and in people with baldness, these cells are destroyed in the area of alopecia by the action of dihydrosterone (DHT), which is why we talk about hair miniaturization. hair, because as these cells are lost, the hair becomes increasingly finer until the hair bulb has completely disappeared and there is no longer any possibility of saving that hair because it has been left without a root. But with this technique you can replace the affected cells with immune cells, which is why the miniaturized hair will become progressively thicker, because the greater the number of DP cells, the greater the thickness. And in this case, by replacing DP cells genetically programmed to be sensitive to DHT with DP cells immune to alopecia, this is a potential cure for many people who experience alopecia in early stages. I hope you have understood me!!
Thanks Alvaro! And Yoda :-)
Thank you very much administrator! For those of us who have been worried about hair loss for so long, and visiting this page, we can only thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the information work that you do selflessly. I started visiting this page when I was 18 when I started losing my hair and now I’m 28 and from the beginning I was clear that the cure was hair cloning, because in the end a hair graft is moving the hair from one place to another and the Medications only serve to maintain what you have and depend on them… That is why I am so happy about this news, which in the end is science, and I am sure that everything will change from now on!!
Cells or hair follicles from donor area that are resistant to DHT, would turn into DHT sensitive when they grafted into the recipient (DHT sensitive) area. That’s similar to what happens after hair transplant . We will still have to use DHT blocker and/or minoxidil to protect them from the DHT effect.
Sensitivity to DHT is not determined by the area of the head where baldness mainly occurs, but by the androgen receptors located in the follicles of this area. That is why generally hair grafts, in which the hair is moved from the donor area to the bald area, this transplanted hair is permanent and will no longer fall, because the hair from the donor area does not have as many androgen receptors and is resistant to DHT. The same thing happens with this treatment, but instead of moving entire follicles, only the cells of the dermal papilla or root are moved, to replace the cells that are lost due to alopecia in the bald area. Of course, it is not a cure for people who have already lost a large part of their hair and it is true that it will be necessary to repeat this treatment from time to time because the alopecia will continue its course.
That’s not true, Alvaro. Look at anyone who had hair transplant, you will find out that if they don’t use propecia, the transplanted hair will mostly fall out over time (not only the native hair as they claim
). Plus there are signaling mechanisms in the recipient area that transforms the grafted hair into sensitive ones to DHT over time. The baldness area has many signaling mechanisms (not only DHT or receptors) that reprogram the newly implanted follicles, at least partially. I’m an old scientist with PHD in gene therapy, btw, and have extensively researched, read and watched experts opinions on that issue. Plus I had one transplant surgery, myself, and it was negatively impacted by not using DHT blocker after surgery. I hope that this new cell therapy works though. Fingers crossed.
I have seen guys whose transplant still looks amazing 20 years later. I think the permanent donor hair remains permanent in at least half of people.
In many people, the problem is that the permanent donor zone hair is not permanent. My grandfather lost all his hair in the permanent zone by age 60.
On a kind of related note, check out the Jeff Bezos’s grandfather story on this blog. His grandfather’s ass hair lasted on his hand (once grafted) for a lifetime lol
I don’t need to look at someone who has undergone hair transplant surgery because I underwent one myself. If you have not taken medication after your operation, the alopecia will continue its course and the native hairs that you retained will have disappeared. What the administrator says is also totally true, that many doctors, as happened in my case, took hair for the transplant that are still sensitive to DHT because in my case they took hair from the crown area, and many people with their Fully developed alopecia experiences a fall in its donor area. That is why I have always said that to perform this technique, there must previously be a test or diagnosis to determine that the multiplied cells come exclusively from hairs that are 100% resistant to the effect of DHT.
Definitely not true… for many men donor hair will thin as well over time if dht blockers aren’t taken. Even with medication donor still can thin…. I have also watched numerous world renown hair transplant surgeons talk about this… and all of them agree transplants thin over time because donor hair miniaturizes.
Is this so? It doesn’t seem to mention DHT resistance, although that be awesome.
But it won’t work in DP cells that do no produce hair anymore ?
So it is still not satisfying, only interesting for people who started to bald recently no ?
Would that not be a cure though? Unlimited donor supply? If I had 10k-50k grafts or whatever I would be getting mega sessions every time I lost density lol
Wow never thought Shiseido would come through. Thought they were just another Follica or Histogen lol. Now I am almost 50, but maybe a first Japan trip is needed.
From what I read, one would need to go to Japan for ~2 months to have this treatment as they need to culture the cells before treatment, or is there some suggestion that they will expand the harvesting globally and allow shipping of cells so international patients can then fly out once the treatment is ready?
While this is great news it does seem disappointing to read that results are merely modest. I’m not sure how to quantify that exactly, but it sounds a bit underwhelming and certainly far from a cure. I do wonder however if repeated treatments lead to greater results. I think it’s best to hold off for now and let them gain experience and see what works best and to which extent. Nonetheless I am modestly excited to see this come to fruition.
What are the other 4 most important days out of interest?
Has anyone come across before/after photos for this procedure?
Reading shiseido text in japanese.
Seems like no serious sides but treatment seems like not last forever and 60％ of male patient felt hair loss progresses after treatment which will cost 10k to 23k.
I dont see anything positive ….
where did you find the cost?
https://www.lab.toho-u.ac.jp/med/ohashi/dermatology/information/2024/r3fc8g0000000047-att/saisei_iryou_info.pdf
toho university is the only one medical institution providing this treatment so far and treatment starts from tomorrow
The photo posted are not that bad in terms of thickness. But they need spread this treatment in the world, do you think it is going to happen soon?
Does that mean there is still a chance for Replicel?
Is the cost 10k – 23k USD accurate admin? How does someone international go about getting a referral for this treatment in Japan.
I can’t seem to find any before and after photos in the references you linked, are you aware of any you could point me to please?
They say prices will vary by clinic once more in Japan start offering. $10k seems about as high as I would expect if you need this procedure every few years. Hopefully the person who posted these numbers converted from Yen to $ correctly.
What does this mean for Replicel moving forward ? With Replicel still holding patents and marketing rights to this procedure outside of Asia it will be interesting to see if Shiseido or some other large Pharma will swoop in and try to buy Replicel. This is very good news for the long suffering Replicel shareholders !
It‘s the very first cell-therapy to be commercially released, which is an absolute watershed in the history of hairloss-treatments.
I hope this is a good signal to all the other developers around the world.
I think we have to wait for more results, I remain skeptical that it‘s a) effective enough and b) lasting. I hope to be wrong though.
The Aderans-method seems much better to me. According to the trials it is a one-off treatment which is long-lasting and gives you thickening of existing hair plus minor regrowth. Fingers crossed that they start phase 3 soon!
I feel compelled to have to rectify my previous comments. When I read the news and the article, something didn’t add up to me with the acronym DSC. I had always read the dermal papilla cells as DP and searching for information about this, I understood that the hair bulb contains the dermal papilla inside (which determines the thickness, length and color of the hair), although I always I had considered that both terms were equal. The difference in this is that the other companies (Stemson-Aderans, Tsuji, Fukuda, Epibiotech, HairClone…) that were working on this method of multiplication and injection of autologous cells work with DP unlike this company Shiseido that works with DSC, that is, the cells of the hair bulb, which is the envelope of the dermal papilla, and from what I have briefly read these cells have the potential to induce the growth of new dermal papilla (DP) cells or even induce the growth of new hairs!!! If this is so, this technique is better than what other companies are developing, but we need more information.
When I talk about how these cells (DSC) may even have the potential to create new hairs, it is because they are mesenchymal cells, those with which Fukuda worked, for the creation of hair follicle germs, and which have the potential to transform into cells. of the dermal papilla (DP) but perhaps also in other hair bulbs and consequently in new hair. This may be a bit bold to say, but reading between the lines, I imagine this is what they mean. I understand you, administrator, when you say that the comments that this technique will only improve thickness and reduce inflammation are very cautious, but in any case we need time to see how this technique evolves and an analysis of the results, but in my opinion this treatment has a lot of benefits. potential, almost as much as a real cure!!
And furthermore, these DSC cells are those at the base of the hair bulb, which are the ones that have the potential to induce the creation of the other cells, since the cells of the hair bulb themselves are called DS. I am happy to learn more every day and above all to know that the first technique in the world of this type in terms of hair loss has preferred to multiply these mesenchymal stem cells rather than DP cells, which other companies are developing, and that it will be just as effective because the lost DP cells can be replaced, but much better to multiply these DSC cells and induce the creation of new DP cells. Very excited again!!(:
We still don’t know much about the details of the procedure, and I haven’t read anything on mainstream channels yet, something doesn’t add up…
Fingers crossed we get a post like this for OrganTech and Stemson !!!
Don’t forget Fukuda too lol
In the immortal words of the poet Alexander Pope, hope springs eternal!
Now if we can just switch “hope” with “hair”…
Thanks for the hope in the meantime, admin.
Eirion therapeutics have started phase 1 for et-02 topical for androgenetic alopecia.. They go on to say that they believe et-02 can also prevent and treat hair greying and they plan to persue that in the future but if it’s the same then will the trials for androgenetic alopecia not also show that it is reactivatiing melanocyte stem cells and be a double celebration? I’m confused as to why they are doing them separately can someone explain as to why that may be, thanks
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eirion-therapeutics-announces-initiation-of-first-in-human-clinical-trial-evaluating-topical-et-02-for-the-treatment-of-androgenic-alopecia-302186429.html
Wow Andy that’s fantastic news. I was always intrigued by them, but lost my interest as there was no new information from them. They are well financed and have product candidates for other indications already in human trials.
Better late than never, they originally planned trials for 2022. Happy to have another contender officially in trials – it’s a small circle if we are honest. This is the only true measurement of seriousness, is a company in a trial or not. Everything else is a pipe dreams, a scam or a decade away.
Hi Andy, they still need to demonstrate efficacy separately for hair greying indications.
My guess is that once Phase 1 finishes they will have two separate phase 2 studies.
Good find Andy. Eirion AGA ET-02 topical is a really promising thing that if it works could potentially reactivate dormant hair follicles.
The study is 24 subjects over 28 days. I hope they are fast enough to finish it by years end.
To me ET-02 is up there next to SCUBE3. I do hope it will at least have better efficacy than GT20029.
Where is SummyKim these days?