Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board, Executive Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer, Biolife
Search every verified Aby Mathew interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2017 presentation, Aby Mathew, then Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at BioLife, discussed the evolution and science of hair graft holding solutions. He stated that traditional solutions like normal saline were selected for convenience rather than designed preservation, and argued that isotonic solutions lack buffering and oncotic support for cells at low temperatures. Mathew presented data from a stress model showing that after five days of cold storage, zero percent of follicles in saline engrafted, compared to 44 percent in a solution called Hypothermosol and 72 percent with added ATP. He characterized the ex vivo holding step as a foundational stress risk point in hair transplant workflows. Mathew also commented on the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) during graft storage, stating that growth factors applied under hypothermic conditions are counterintuitive and may cause damage. He noted that while many physicians still use saline, those willing to adopt improved methods tend to be in leading positions. He suggested that better graft storage could reduce variability among poorer responders and help manage risk, as unsatisfied patients can negatively affect a practice's reputation.
“When the aspect of a graft holding solution was introduced into the early stages of these procedures, the likelihood is that they were selected due to convenience—what was sitting around in a physician's office that could then be pulled and poured into a petri dish to keep the grafts moist, not necessarily as a designe...”
“Normal saline actually has no buffering capacity whatsoever and it has no designed oncotic support for the tissues and the stresses that are undergone during these procedures, yet it is pretty much the traditional graft storage solution used for ex vivo storage.”
“Isotonic solutions such as saline, plasmalite, and lactated ringers were designed for intravenous administration under normothermic conditions and have little to no buffering or oncotic support for preservation of cells, tissues, or organs at hypothermic temperatures.”
“Hypothermia is a solution designed specifically for preservation of multiple cells, tissues, and organs, introduced into the hair transplant lexicon around 2003-2004, recognizing hair grafts as a micro-organ model requiring specialized preservation.”
“In a stress model of five days cold storage, zero percent of follicles in isotonic saline were able to engraft, whereas 44 percent survived in hypothermia and 72 percent survived with hypothermia plus ATP, demonstrating the preservation capacity of designed solutions.”
“Scientifically speaking, in theory, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) should not have any positive impact during a graft holding stage because growth factors applied during hypothermic preservation are counterintuitive and may cause more damage due to diminished metabolism at low temperatures.”
“No one uses saline or plasmaline for organ preservation in human transplant; these isotonic solutions went away many decades ago in favor of designed preservation media, raising the question of why they are still commonly used for hair graft holding.”
“If we took a poll of all hair transplant physicians worldwide, probably many more would use saline than hypothermia, though more use hypothermia today than 10 years ago; those willing to absorb the cost of improved methods tend to be in leading positions.”
“Improved graft storage may not only improve top-end outcomes but also reduce variability among poorer responders, which is important for risk management and reducing unsatisfied patients, especially in the internet age where negative feedback can impact a physician's reputation.”
“Ex vivo holding solution is one of the foundational stress risk points in the hair transplant workflow, and improving this step can reduce stresses and improve overall processes, which also has business implications for practices to avoid lost costs and repeat procedures.”
Presentation by Dr. Aby J. Mathew from BioLife entitled "Innovation and Evolution of Hair Graft Holding Solutions" at Day 1 of ...
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