MolGenBio: FK506 Derivative Hair Growth Drug

A new Korean biotech company seeks to leverage the multi-faceted therapeutic benefit of FK506 to create a newer and safer hair growth drug.

As we are gratified to see completely new approaches emerge in the hair growth space, we should also value the strategy of creating new and improved iterations of older hair growth drugs and mechanisms. Imagine an anti-androgen drug (e.g. finasteride) which was free of sexual side effects. These are the type of drugs which should appear in the coming years. Today, we are discussing the reinvention of a prescription medicine which has a widely known side-effect of promoting hair growth – FK506.

FK506, also known astacrolimus,是一种免疫抑制药物常用的公关event organ rejection in transplant patients, and is also used topically as an eczema treatment. It acts as a calcineurin inhibitor. Although FK506’s hair growth properties have beenwell documentedover the years, it remains unsuitable as a hair growth treatment (similar to cyclosporine) due to the safety issues around its immunosuppressive effects. If only there was a way to preserve the hair growth mechanism of FK506 while removing its impact on the immune system.

Introducing MolGenBio Of Korea

MolGenBio is a new bioventure focused on the development of microorganism-derived small molecule drugs using synthetic biology. The company’s name alludes to their drug development process of discovering “molecules through gene” scanning. In slightly simpler terms, MolGenBio seeks to create newer and safer drugs through the use of genome editing to alter and enhance naturally-occurring molecules such as FK-506. Below is an infographic which begins to introduce the company’s R&D focus.

世界杯比赛名单

MolGenBio’s new website displays arich pipeline, including therapeutic candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, tuberculosis, and hair loss. The pipeline candidate abbreviations TA, RZ, and LZ allude that MolGenBio has created analog molecules, i.e. derivatives, from other substances beyond just tacrolimus/FK506.

MG303 / MG402 MolGenBio Hair Growth Candidates

Recently, I was able to get in touch with MolGenBio’s founder Dr. Yeo Joon Yoon, who was kind enough to share an executive summary of his company’s accomplishments and projects. Below is a deeper look at MolGenBio’s hair growth program, including exclusive preclinical results from its FK506 derivatives MG303 and MG402 available only on Follicle Thought. The first slide broadly points out MG303/MG402’s difference in mechanism compared to minoxidil, and also quantifies the lessening of its immunosuppressive effect compared to FK506.

In the next slide we see preclinical results documenting the hair growth effect of MG303. The results include a tissue analysis comparison to minoxidil, a mouse whisker culture comparing MG303 to the original FK506, and importantly, a MG303 human hair follicle culture.

The above slides have been shared from aMolGenBio presentationintended for the Follicle Thought audience. I look forward to sharing more information on the MolGenBio company in the future. For further media coverage of MolGenBio, check out its interview in the Korean publicationThe Bell. Special thanks to Dr. Yeo Joon Yoon for his correspondence with Follicle Thought.

71 Comments on “MolGenBio: FK506 Derivative Hair Growth Drug

  1. Thank you for reading. To stay informed when Follicle Thought releases new content, please enter your email in the subscription form on the right sidebar on desktop, or the bottom bar on mobile browsing. Also, keep up to date with smaller updates on theUpdatespage, you should likely bookmark it and the Follicle Thought homepage for easy access on your phone or desktop browser.

    • Thanks for bringing this to our attention! That’s interesting. Any idea when they are planning on moving on to phase 1 trials?

      • Thanks Alexis. I know that MolGenBio is seeking strategic partners and investment to further their compounds now. If significant developments on that front were to happen, then a phase 1 trial could get here sooner, but for now they are projecting a phase 1 trial in second half 2024 at the earliest.

        • Cool. So it’s going to take a while but the important thing to remember for everyone is that they are working on it and the fact that we have new players constantly entering the game, that can only be a good thing.

    • Hey FOLLICLETHOUGHT

      Someone told me big news is brewing at hopemedicine headquarters. I’m wondering if it’s true

      Cheers

  2. Honestly, ciclosporin was never clear to me because it is characterized as a chemical and and cure, and on Wikipedia it says that it was discovered in a mushroom on Easter Island. According to that, it should be a natural compound.

  3. Today I set up my new ENS domain: folliclethought.eth for all who would like to contribute with Ethereum cryptocurrency that way. Thanks for all of your support.

  4. crazy thought. Wouldn’t be nice if the said immunosupressant topical drug can be used to treat donor rejection of hair follicles?
    Interesting study a while back from Korea shows that this might be possible (through different mean).
    I think one day advances in immuno could hold the key to the cure. Sure the hair will not match 100% perhaps but it is better than beard hair

  5. Am I correct in saying FK506 is the pigment promoting drug in the rt1640 topical from Rivertown therapeutics?

    • Andy, I know a lot of people have been talking about repigmentation and FK506 in this thread which you may have seen.https://www.rapamycin.news/t/reverse-gray-hair-hair-repigmentation/2765/126I believe the answer may be yes, but I’m not completely convinced of RT1640’s ability to consistently restore hair color. Some of the subject photos I saw did not seem to restore color even when they regrew hair. Interesting compound for sure, though.

  6. Yeah, just as you mentioned that I’m thinking back to the photographs you shared on Rivertown of a 60 year old man with fully grey/white hair with balding on the crown and it seemed to regrow hair but was still grey/white colour.

  7. I received an email from Mane Biotech where they say that they will launch the product in early 2023

    • Update mane biotech:

      Hello there

      Thanks for joining us and wanting to learn more about our regenerative stem cell technology that will empower you to regrow your hair. We are applying for patents, trademarks and all the necessary paperwork right now to be able to share this revolutionary new approach with you soon.

      The results are in!

      In our last newsletter, we asked what you would like to hear from us.
      Thanks for your answers. Here are the top 3 things you want to know:

      1: Product updates

      A massive 97% of you want to receive updates and product availability.

      For now, we can say that our product will place innovative technology into your hands that works at the root of the cause of hair loss, the stem cells. Our research in regenerative medicine has discovered a way to reactivate these cells at the hair follicle to make hair grow again. It was so effective that 100% of people in our test group stopped their hair loss and initiated hair regrowth within 6 months. It’s pretty exciting stuff and is launching early in 2023. By signing up, you have ensured that you will be the first to know and receive special offers through this newsletter.

      2: Personal stories from some of our pioneer testers

      Approximately 2/3rds of you want to hear about others’ experiences.

      We get this. We are all about proven science, but you don’t want to hear this simply from a Mane Biotech employee. That’s why we will bring you personal stories from our pioneer testers. Real-life experiences that have helped us shape our product. Stay tuned.

      3: Understanding hair loss and causes

      近1/2的你想了解脱发ore. I’m sure you have all been keyboard warriors in your fight against hair loss and discovered an overwhelming amount of information. We will try to help you navigate, condense and simplify this information delivering short blogs, links to helpful information and simplified scientific understanding, so you can find the best solution for you.

      To get started, here’s a short article on the Top 5 reasons for hair loss.

      • „Top 5 reasons for hair loss“
        Updated: 2 days ago

        Hair loss is a confidence killer and can impact our lives in more ways than simply making it harder to style our hair every morning. But before you look for the latest hair growth product or hair loss cure, it’s essential to understand what’s driving it to target the underlying issue.

        So, what are some of the common causes of hair loss?

        1. Genetics
        The most common form of hair loss is down to genetics. It’s progressive and, to date, permanent and can’t be treated very effectively with what is currently on the market. You may also hear it referred to as androgenetic alopecia, more commonly known as male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness, or a receding hairline. Genetics, in this case, determines how you react to the effect of hormones on the hair follicles. Many people opt for drugs to slow down this type of hair loss, which can have serious side effects, but new approaches in stem cell regeneration will soon offer alternative methods.

        2.Lifestyle
        How we live can undoubtedly affect our hair. The good news is that this is usually reversible if you can fix the underlying reason. Diet, stress, hair products, and drying and styling your hair can all affect how healthy the scalp and hair follicles perform the natural hair growth cycle. Healthy eating, nutritional supplements, using the right care products and lowering your stress are all aspects you can control with assistance.

        3.Hormones
        Various factors can cause imbalances or changes in our body’s hormones which ultimately drive the endocrine system responsible for growth and development. Imbalances result from things like thyroid level fluctuations, pregnancy, menopause and stress. Of note, genetically inherited hair loss, male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness, is driven by hormones, namely, testosterone and derivatives. Whilst this type of hair loss is reversible; a medical professional must detect the imbalance or change in hormones to address this effectively.

        4.Illness
        Medical conditions that affect the immune system can also cause hair loss. In the case of alopecia areata, cells in your immune system surround and attack hair follicles, causing hair loss. Lupus can cause hair loss through inflammation of the scalp. In both of the above cases, certain drugs can assist in treating these conditions and restoring hair growth. More recently, COVID-19 has also been reported to cause hair loss in some people.

        5.Medications
        It’s also widely known that medications can cause hair loss. A simple search online will give you many forms that impact your hair. Chemotherapy, acne medications, and blood pressure medication, to name a few, have been linked to hair loss. Using steroids will also increase Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a derivative of testosterone that is a key factor behind male/female pattern baldness. The good news is that after stopping medications, your hair can grow back, but it is essential to speak with your doctor about whether you can stop using your medicines in the first place.

        In summary
        这些都是一些最常见的足总ctors that can cause hair loss. There are many products on the market, and it’s essential to understand which factor could be driving your hair loss before embarking on your fight against it. But simple preventative methods, like eating a healthy diet, lowering your stress and being gentle to your hair with products and styling, are already some easy solutions to prevent or slow down your hair loss.

  8. Hey folliclethought will you be interviewing sirnagen at the end of the month?

    • 杰森,我不这么认为,但我应该有一个update from them by mid-November, possibly around the end of the month depending on how fast they make progress.

  9. So Mane Biotech doesn’t need to do Ph1/2/3 trials? Sounds kinda weird then..

    • No, the laws regarding this in Germany are a bit different because I guess it’s considered a non-invasive treatment. Which doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to go through any clinical testing at all it’s just different process then usual.

  10. Mane Biotech sounds like sh** . I advice everybody here against trusting them.

    • I don’t agree with you.

      It’s a german based company.

      They have won a lot of startup prices and government fundings.

      Fingers crossed!

    • Just wait for the results.
      If they are there, you can give your opinion.

  11. There is no need to test through the stages because it is a device and not a chemical. Laser caps have also never gone through the stages of testing.

  12. just because it’s German doesn’t mean it has more legitimacy . i’m quite sure this is not this superhero cap that will help up . Admin what do you thing? you didn’t write on them so you must be quite reticent too , aren’t you?

    BUT i hope i’m mistakening and that it will work … believers can pray, non-believers can wait .

    • After this I’m going to refrain from sharing my opinion about Mane in every thread since they seem to be a very compelling topic to many readers: I think their scientist has a respectable background and credentials, their communication strategy up until this point has been unique and could be described as curious, and I don’t think anything they’ve shared thus far could be said to disprove/prove the efficacy of their proposed device; everyone will have to look for their data if/when it is released.

  13. Admin do you have any updates from Hairclone? You know the UK based company from Paul Kemp.

    • Peterson, I believe there is no update at this time. I’ve been prodding them for updates over the past 4 years, if something noteworthy was happening I believe they’d let me know.

  14. Bioneer has published a new investor relations video where they seem to also talk about CosmeRNA. Anyone who speaks korean or is handy enough to translate the subtitles here? Link below.

    https://youtu.be/mPLdilmbWSw

    About the Mane Biotech: I would literally travel to Germany and hug them to dead
    if they succeeded but it feels very unlikely that countless of big pharma companies and research groups cannot find anything that works in the final analysis, and then a couple of guys from Germany just end up solving a problem with a non pharmaceutical innovation.

    I read their patent and I got the impression that their technology is not that much different from already existing ones. It’s pretty much just a cap with electrodes that send electrical stimuli and an app to go along with it. Compared to previous solutions, the main benefit seems to be that it is supposed to be a more convinient and “adapting” version. If this technology has been around for a good while and if it supposedly stops hairloss, or better yet, even gains you hair with 100% success rate, how come nobody has heard about it?EVEN if was a little inconvenient before. I also got the impression that the device has to worn multiple hours a day every day to be successful, so I don’t know if they completely solved the inconvenience problem either.

    Here’s the link for the patent:

    https://patents.google.com/patent/DE102020121715A1/en

    • Thanks for sharing Forward, I watched the video but was not able to gather much from it due to the language.

      • Apparently its about them having found a way to mass produce compounds that are used in cosmeRNA.

  15. Mane is intriguing for sure. The founder comes from the prestigious Max Plank Institute with a very specific focus on stem cells.. They raised money from public grant institutions and are now backed by respectable biotech investors, Brightland Venture Partners.

    But they have these “big words marketing” we kind of hate bcs all past industry failures.

  16. Many times I think to myself why can’t DHT attack pubic hair, back or chest hair. such bullshit!

  17. If hair cloning fails there should be another option and that is to clone the follicles grow the hair but than cut the hair and make hair systems from it. So you’ll have a 100% color match, density of your liking, texture, etc.

    • From an industry standard this is far less likely to happen than cloning, imagine the insane amount of work needed for this, not only do need to clone the follicle, but you need to create an environment where this large amount of follicles needed for a wig/system can grow until the needed length which also takes a long time.
      A system made like this would not only be highly inefficient but also very very expensive.
      Getting human hair of all textures & lengths isn’t hard as the market is huge. Coloring is very simple as well & there is still synthetic hair.

      有趣的概念,但我认为没有理由why anyone would actually consider doing this currently, as it would only complicate things.
      Also, the proof of concept of cloning is there, we know it is possible, it is just a matter of time, as to when it can be applied as treatment in a safe, consistent & efficient treatment so I don’t see why cloned transplants should fail in general.

  18. Hi admin, could you please conduct an interview with Maksim plikus/ William wrassman and get an update about scube 3 or about their two new compounds which are scheduled to enter clinical trial next year?
    Thanks

    • 富兰克林, I will reach out to Maksim sometime in the near future and ask about his availability for an article. BTW, they will do one compound at a time. So, the lineup is potentially compound 1, compound 2 (pending compound 1’s success), and then Scube3.

    • Not yet, Peterson. The two companies are still currently in a legal dispute and Shiseido’s trial likely will not complete until next year.

  19. Announcing that the complete MolGenBio company presentation has been added to the article. Find the link above to download. Thanks

  20. Regarding Mane Biotech, I have some “unofficial” bad news.

    Look at the slide at 0:56.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqiAE3apwXg

    Looks kinda different to the “Meet our Founders” section on this site, right? (scroll down)https://www.manebiotech.com/

    And if you google “Sam Jellard Linked” and check out his page, you’ll see that he stopped working at Mane Biotech in Feb 2021. He stopped working there and is now working as an electronics engineer at some other company. Seems like quite the downgrade from CEO. No way would someone do that if they ran a company which they believed was going to be successful.

      • Happens all the time, founders are transitioned out of the CEO spot so that the investors can put in someone with a “track record” of success. Doesn’t mean they will or won’t be successful or the product effective(for real, as opposed to marketing hype). In case anyone is interested I sent them an email asking if there was an upper age limitation for their product as I read something that indicated this (might’ve just been the translation). Their reply is below:
        Thank you for contacting Mane Biotech about our future product launch to combat hair loss.
        Our approach has been proven to work in cases of common hair loss, a genetic type of hair loss, for men in the early to mid-stage of hair loss. We are therefore targeting the stage of hair loss and not necessarily the age. If you are experiencing this stage of hair loss, our product could certainly assist you in your hair growth goals.
        However, to date, we have not tested our product on women and cannot directly recommend it for this use. This is in the plan for the future :).
        Thank you for your interest and for reaching out.
        Wishing you all the best,

        The Mane Biotech Team.

        • Thanks Yoda for the info!
          Mane has already mentioned this in a letter. One should perhaps not expect too much from this product. I’ve been following this company for a while and we should all wait and see the results of the study participants first. As with all companies, a lot can be written, but in the end only the scientific facts count. Staying optimistic, the ideas of the other companies with which the admin is connected give me courage for the future.

    • If you look a bit into Sam Jellard, I think the reason why he dropped out of ManeBio seems to be unrelated to the product at first glance we can’t know for sure why of course. He simply moved out of Germany back to the UK, he also had another company in Germany that he liquidated at the same time he left & if you look into the German Trading Register the “new” Mane CEO took over immediately after he left so the swap must have been anticipated and planned it seems

  21. what makes me a bit suspicious about Mane Biotech is that they only occupy a marketing position. They only have positions in marketing and nothing scientific. I want data, not hot air

    • They do have scientific positions on their website, they have 4 doctors hired and just one of the CEOs has a marketing background so the majority have a scientific background. Do you mean the job offers listed? Because are just for are just internship offers for students in marketing and graphic design… so they are not even for permanent additions to the team.
      I mean I do agree with you they should finally release some concrete data indeed, but I really don’t understand this tendency on forums to spread rumors around them specifically…

  22. Also, Yoda’s answer now makes me suspicious. They say that their technology has proven itself for hair loss at the beginning and middle level. I thought they had a 100% success rate? So have not tested the advanced hair loss? Then why the statement? Also, I can’t imagine

  23. sorry admin but we don’t care about all these futurist treatments …. what we want is the treatment that will save us RIGHT NOW

    • Ok gipsy, please stay off this site then. FYI, the days of my diplomatic responses to unappreciative visitors are gone; if you’re not pleased with the content here for any reason, I recommend that you or anyone else find your content elsewhere rather than make a thoughtless complaint. Thanks and take care

      • That was still very diplomatic Joe, you’re a true gentleman. Thanks for the articles of news both near and far. gipsy I got three words for you, Fin, Dut, Minoxidil (oral and topical), that’s all we have RIGHT NOW! Ideal no, but I come from the dark ages before these treatments were available, appreciate that we them and how they have helped me in my hair loss battle.

  24. Hi, regarding Mane would someone be able to find out at what norwood stage they done trials. I think I heard somewhere for ‘mild and moderate’ but what does that mean? Is that norwood 4 and lower or up to norwood 5ish? I’m quite interested in the device but still very very skeptical. Any feed back on this would br much appreciated thank you

  25. FT,

    For the record there’s probably lots of people like me who lurk this site from time-to-time to keep tabs on new developments. I, and probably lots of others, see the work you’re doing and appreciate it. Don’t let the entitled mess with your mood.

  26. Hello FT,
    I remember when you first introduced your blog 5 years ago, man does the time fly…
    Anyways I wanted to ask do you think will get any new info for CosmeRNa soon?
    For a lot of us a drug or treatment that has efficacy like Finasteride but no serious side effects would still be a major boon.
    Also interested in when Turn.bio could start with Phase 1 trials.
    And the verteporfin study is definitely intriguing.
    The Mane biotech device is something I’m very sceptical about but they can always prove me wrong.
    最后但并非最不重要的人机界面- 115是厕所k out for. Can’t wait for the results from Australia trial however they might be at least a year away.
    Stay well everyone lets hope for the best.

    • Romulus, thanks for your continued reading.

      The answer is yes, there will be CosmeRNA news by the end of the year, all but guaranteed. It’s hard to pin it down further than that, but the update will get here. Stay tuned. And I’ve heard a few people describe it as efficacy like finasteride, but I would say it’s a bit less than finasteride. Study showed around 7.7 news hairs per cm2.

  27. The veterporfin news is great but I have my doubts at this point I don’t think it’s going to be what we all wanted this far out. FT do you think it will be a home run? Or just regenerate weak hairs? Is this doctor increasing the doses now? I’m a little confused. Thanks

    • I don’t think it’s a home run quite yet, Woofy. But I believe this approach could be optimized and further developed to be a home run someday- even if a few years down the road. Perhaps verteporfin in higher doses is still a bit of a breakthrough which does not need the years of R&D, we shall see. The doctor is going to be moving to new test subjects using higher doses and also a FUT strip scar case in the near future.

  28. Guys,
    I just got email from Manebiotech regarding my question that is their product helpful for Norwood 6 or over for a long time and the answer is

    Thank you for contacting Mane Biotech about our future product launch to combat hair loss.
    Our approach has been proven to work in cases of common hair loss sufferers experiencing hair loss at the early to mid stages.
    Unfortunately, we have not tested beyond this level and as such cannot recommend our product for your situation. However, we can say that once the hair follicle has been dormant for a longer time it is hard to reactivate hair growth in this case.

    Kind regards,
    The Mane Biotech Team

    • Great brother, I want to know when this company’s products will be launched? Did they mention anything about the price?

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