Japan-based hair and cosmetics company Shiseido claims to have found a cure for baldness which it plans to make commercially available by 2018.

The company has patented its new RepliCel Hair-01 (RCH-01) hair regeneration technology in the entire Asian region, including Japan, which comprises approximately 2.1 billion people.

RCH-01 has been developed over 10 years of scientific research, and safe application in humans has been now been validated  through  clinical  trials. 

The treatment uses “autologous  cell  transplantation  technology,”  in  which specific cells isolated  from  the  hair  follicles taken  from  the scalp of a patient are cultured and implanted (injected) into the balding  scalp  area,  potentially  stimulating  residing  hair follicles and promoting new hair growth.

The treatment has been created by scientists at The Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, a biomedical research center located in Port Island, which is one of the core bases of the Kansai Innovation International Strategic  Comprehensive  Special  Zone  designated  by  the  Japanese  government  to  promote  industrial development in advanced medicine and to provide a competitive advantage in the international market.

The Cluster is the  largest  national  cluster  zone  specialized  in  life  sciences,  with  the  focus  on  promoting  translation  of leading scientific research and advanced knowledge in regenerative medicine into clinical use.

There  are  over  270 biomedical  companies,  academic,  medical,  and  government  organizations  situated  at the center working on the clinical application of  regenerative medicine and the development of new pharmaceutical products and medical equipment.