Cell “Cloning” Therapy

(Hair follicle cloning, tissue engineering, follicular cell implantation)

The term “cloning” is frequently misused by the society because of its popularity. Scientifically speaking, cloning could be done to a gene, a cell or an organism as a whole. Every group entitles their studies on specific tissues, in a different way. In other words, there is still no specific nomenclature available on this issue that everybody agrees on. More scientific terms include: Cell Therapy, Tissue Engineering and Follicular Cell Implantation.

Whatever the name is, the applied procedure is usually the same:

    1 - Extraction of the cells from the donor area, which is located at the occipital region of the head.
    2 - Isolation and culturing of the hair follicle cells in laboratory.
    3 - Implantation of the new cells to the hairless area, and generation of new hair.

An American, an English and a Japanese company are doing pioneering studies on this subject. Even if the results are not at the desired level for now, it is my personal opinion that some positive results will be obtained within the following decade. Once there are successful results, the insufficient donor area and low-density problems will be overcome.

There are still many unanswered questions about cell therapy:

  • Which type of cell or cell-combination should be chosen?
  • The naturalness of the results?
  • The durability of the obtained follicles?
  • Induction of any kind of skin cancer?
  • Reliability and legal approval?
  • High cost?

    • I chose to give a brief summary of the subject, for more detailed information you can find the references of the articles that review “cell therapy” topic more comprehensively.

    Cell therapy technology needs more time and effort to be a reliable treatment. In order to avoid any misuse, one should obtain proved information.

      [1] Langer, R. and J. P. Vacanti (1993). "Tissue Engineering." Science 260(5110): 920-926.
      [2] R. F. Oliver. The experimental induction of whisker growth in the hooded rat by implantation of dermal papillae J Embryol Exp Morphol 18, 43-51 (1967)
      [3] F. Oliver. The induction of hair follicle formation in the adult hooded rat by vibrissa dermal papillae. J Embryol Exp Morphol 23: 219-236.
      [4] Colin A B Jahoda, Amanda J Reynolds and Roy F Oliver. Induction of Hair Growth in Ear Wounds by Cultured Dermal Papilla Cells. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1993) 101, 584–590
      [5] Amanda J. Reynolds Clifford Lawrence Peter B. Cserhalmi-Friedman Angela M. Christiano & Colin A. B. Jahoda. Trans-gender induction of hair follicles. Nature 402, 33 - 34 (1999)
      [6] T. Christoph, (2000). "The human hair follicle immune system: cellular composition and immune privilege." British Journal of Dermatology 142(5): 862-873.
      [7] A. Gharzi , A. J. Reynolds and C. A. B. Jahoda. Plasticity of hair follicle dermal cells in wound healing and induction. Experimental Dermatology, Volume 12 Issue 2, Pages 126 – 136 (2003)
      [8] A. Osada, K. K. (2001). "Characterization of vibrissa germinative cells: transition of cell types." Experimental Dermatology 10(6): 430-437.
      [9] Mutsumi Inamatsu, Establishment of Rat Dermal Papilla Cell Lines that Sustain the Potency to Induce Hair Follicles from Afollicular Skin, Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1998) 111, 767–775
      [10] AJ Reynolds and CA Jahoda, Hair matrix germinative epidermal cells confer follicle-inducing capabilities on dermal sheath and high passage papilla cells. Development, Vol 122, Issue 10 3085-3094
      [11] Kessler DA, Siegel JP, Noguchi PD, Zoon KC, Feiden KL, Woodcock J., Regulation of somatic-cell therapy and gene therapy by the food and drug administration. N Engl J Med. 1993 Oct 14; 329 (16):1169-73