Alopecia Areata Research Grant Award 2008

On Thursday September 4, 2008 Joseph F. Greco, PhD and Robert Brandt of OroGen Biosciences, Inc. were awarded a $10,000 research grant by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery at the ISHRS Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec to "Study and Evaluate the Effects of Platelet Rich Plasma and Various Growth Factors as a treatment for Alopecia Areata."

Four percent of all dermatologic visits in the USA are for Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune condition that causes patients to lose hair on their heads as well as on other parts of the body. Current treatment options are limited, and some of those options, like cortisone injections, have side effects. In contrast, infusing the patient's own growth factors is completely safe and may prove to be an effective treatment regiment for this devastating condition.

Both Dr. Greco and Mr. Brandt were awarded a 2007 research grant from the ISHRS to study the "Effects of Platelet Rich Plasma and Various Growth Factors on Non-Transplanted Miniaturized Hair," and the study results will be published in 2008 International Hair Transplant Forum.