Recent Advances in Hair Cloning

Article by HairlossTalk.com

New Study of Dermal Papilla & Hair Growth



Two very recent studies from academic research groups have added new information
to the debate on the future of hair cloning. The first paper by Paus and colleagues
in Hamburg, Germany and Bradford England, shows that the ball of cells necessary
to make new follicles do not originate only in the dermal papilla. By analyzing
follicles in different stages of the hair growth cycle, they found that the dermal
papilla structure is filled with cells that have migrated from an adjacent structure
around the hair follicle called the “dermal sheath”.

The dermal sheath is an outer sleeve of cells around the epithelial component
of the hair fiber-producing part of the hair follicle. Clear as mud? :)

In other words, cells in the dermal sheath were previously thought to only play
a minor role, mostly as physical support to the hair follicle. This recent study
has shown that cells multiply in the lower dermal sheath and then migrate into
the dermal papilla at the start of a new hair growth cycle. At the end of the
hair growth cycle the cells migrate out again either back into the dermal sheath
or out into the dermis.

This might be one explanation as to how androgenetic alopecia develops. If at
the end of each growth cycle the dermal papilla cells migrate away from the follicle
never to return, then the dermal papilla structure may get progressively smaller
with each growth cycle - but this is a story for another time.


Figure 1 above: (a)
Cross-section view of a hair follicle in growth phase (anagen) and the bulb region
(b) the same follicle with the dermal component outlined
with an dotted line. The hair follicle dermal component can be subdivided into
at least three parts based on morphology and the ability of cells to induce new
hair follicles (c) The dermal papilla (DP) sits at
the base of the hair follicle in a pear shape structure. The DP is fed by cells
of the lower dermal sheath called the dermal sheath “cup” (DSC). The
cells of the dermal sheath (DS) away from the hair follicle bulb have no apparent
ability to induce new hair follicle development.



How this Study relates to Hair Cloning

The size of the dermal papilla is known to directly dictate the size of the
hair fiber produced. A big papilla promotes the growth of a big hair fiber.
For the purposes of understanding hair cloning, the study shows that the dermal
sheath plays an active role in determining the size of the dermal papilla. The
dermal sheath provides the cells. The Dermal Papilla is created with these cells.
The two together define the size of the hair fiber produced, and how long that
hair will stay in growth phase. This is very important for hair cloning. It
shows that to make big, healthy new hair follicles with hair cloning, you need
to use cells from a big, healthy donor hair follicle. The cells from the donor
follicle apparently retain the instructions for a big follicle and transfer
this information to the new follicle in hair cloning.

The second paper from Marburg Germany takes these observations a step further.
In these studies the scientists used cells that contained a green fluorescent
protein tag. Under ultra violet (UV) light the cells fluoresce green and this
enables the scientists to follow where the cells go and what they do over time.
The scientists took dermal papilla cells and dermal sheath cells, cultured them,
and then injected them into normal mouse ears and mouse feet.

(Continued on next page...)

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