Part two of our Hair Cloning article addresses the major roadblocks in hair cloning technology today, and why even though the science is legitimate, the application of it just isn't working yet ...
Since this publication, there has been a lot of interest in developing the idea
of hair and follicle cloning into a practical technique for use in the dermatology/hair
transplant clinic. Companies like Aderans (the owners of the hair transplant
chain, Bosley International) and Intercytex have set up well funded laboratories
to develop the technique. Dr's Jahoda and Reynolds continue their academic work
at Durham University in England and several other academic research scientists
have decided to jump on the bandwagon.
The Current Roadblocks with Hair Cloning
1 - Unreliable Quantities
While the principle of hair cloning is proven, turning it into a practical technique
for clinical use is fraught with problems. First, the results of implantation
can be very variable. Even if they inject the same quantity of cells, and even
if the cells are from the same donor, the number of hair follicles produced
in response is extremely unreliable. There have been unofficial reports from
two sources (Aderans/Bosley, Dr Jerry Cooley) that they have successfully induced
hair growth in humans by using cultured cells. Unfortunately the success rate
stated by both sources was poor. Implantation of cultured cells to volunteers
by Aderans/Bosley produced just 2 hairs in a single individual. Dr Jerry Cooley
implanted cultured cells into himself at fifteen different sites but only managed
to promote one hair follicle to grow.
2 - Unreliable Angles
Second, the new hair follicles induced in studies using rats or mice are usually
disorientated. Natural hair follicles grow hair with a “grain”,
so on your scalp your hair grows in whirl pattern (usually clockwise) about
the vertex. On your lower legs your hair grows down towards your feet etc. With
hair follicles induced in hair cloning studies on rodents, the follicles can
grow hair at all sorts of angles. This gives a cosmetically “scruffy”
appearance.
3 - Uneven Distribution / Patchy Growth
Third, natural hair follicles are evenly distributed over the skin, but in rodent
studies hair follicles induced by hair cloning do not have an even distribution
over the skin – there can be clumps of hair growth. Again, the cosmetic
appearance of this clumpy growth is generally unacceptable.
For hair cloning to become a practical and popular treatment, all these problems
must be overcome.
For Hair Cloning to work, researchers need to be
able to (1) produce a consistent number of hair follicles
for a given number of injected dermal papilla cells (2)
figure out how to control the angle at which the new follicles grow and (3)
produce a consistent level of density over the treated area. Currently, these
are the 3 main roadblocks to successful hair cloning. 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.
Continue
to Part 3 of this article...
(Reviews new study data that may suggest injected cells could work as a current
hair loss treatment for men and women with male pattern baldness)
