Future is unpredictable and unimaginable. There will be many changes in every aspect either positive or negative. Taking hair loss as a topic, what changes will occur in future for the hair replacement? There will be hair multiplication or cloning which will perhaps bring a new age of happiness for those who are suffering from this problem. And, this will obviously take time.
The multiplication and cloning of hair is very much difficult to make the explanation. However, Dr. Robert M. Bernstein, who is a professor of dermatology at the ‘Columbia University’ in New York has tried to simplify the topic and make the answers of the possible questions that may be generated. He and Dr. William Rassman are renowned for their articles on FUH also known as ‘Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation’, which helped in bringing revolution in the latest surgeries relating with the hair transplant.
Hair Cloning
Q: What are the main hindrances to cloning?
A: There are many difficulties that come in the path and one of the most difficult problem is keeping the donned cells differentiated (that is, capability of performing a particular function, like as to produce a hair). The cells in skin know as ‘fibroblasts’ residing on the bottom of the hair follicles. There will be multiplications in the cells rapidly in a “Petri Dish”. When these reproduced cells are introduced into the skin, they are capable of inducing a hair (they become differentiated). But when the culture is done in the Petri dish, they probably fail to perform specified function (they are undifferentiated).
Many actions are being taken to keep the cells well functioning. One of them is injecting new genes in the nucleus of the cell and changing the expressions and characters of the prevailing genes. Another is to have the rapid division of cells. The main logic in this second action is that all the embryonic cells are genetically similar but may differ in some functioning; some can develop to form muscles and some bones or nerves. The cells differ in various categories as physical relationships to one and other. These cells receive and send signs to each other in accordance with the relationships. As for the example, the cells which are out of the growing ball may perform in another way compared with the other cells which are in the inner part. If the orientation of the cells can be influenced by the researchers, this will assist them to produce the differentiable hairs and also assist in the rapid cell division process.
Q: Will there be effects on the hair grafting when hair cloning comes into practice?
A: The hair that has been restored traditionally should not have any effect on the hair that is restored by cloning and vice-versa. If you have hair grafting now, the cloning of the hair can be done when it is available later in the upcoming days. There will not be any of the effects.
Q: Will there be the normal evolution of hair on the scalp when the injecting is done after the cell cultivation? Can they really help the growth of hair in those areas where the hair stopped growing?
A: This is the most asked question. It is unknown whether the follicles that are induced will be similar to the original hairs and accepted cosmetically by the people. If the growth of hair is not in order, then it can be used as the filler of the gap instead during the hair restoration. When the dermal components (‘fibroblasts’ and ‘dermal papillae’) interact with the ‘epidermal structures’, there will be the development of the hair. However, it is also true that when the interactions are good, the hair will be more in order which will grow controllably. Culturing of both epithelial and the dermal cells can assist in this process and due to this many researchers are carrying out different tests. The growth of the hair is not only the solution of the problem, but the development of the hair in the empty area orderly is the requirement. If scars are seen in the tissues, then it will be tough task.
The transplantation of the hair follicles is not so much graceful cosmetically which is possible in FUH. There are much more studies and research that are to be done in order to get the complete remedy of the problem.
Q: Can the transplant be done from one person’s head to another?
A: Yes, it is possible theoretically but the practical use is very far from our imagination. Very developed technologies and equipments are required for that.
Q: What are the difficulties for the scientists for the cloning of hair?
A: The main difficulty is the loss of the phenotype during culturing when there is rapid division in cells. Due to this they will not be able to have the required functioning. Another difficulty is to have the control over the unwanted and no orderly distribution of the hair follicles. When the tests were carried out in a mouse, the hair that grew in it was on various directions. Hence, it is necessary for the scientists to find out the proper alignment of the hair. The formation of hair should be cosmetically appreciable. Individual cannot provide you with the fullness and natural look. On the prospect of safety also, it has difficulty. We cannot be 100 percent sure that the cultured cells can function well; they might lead to cancer due to the proliferation of the cells. The agreement of FDA is required when the cells from your body is taken and manipulated in the laboratory.
Q: How to differentiate ‘cloning’, ‘multiplication’ and follicular ‘neogenesis’?
A: ‘Cloning’ is the term referring the rapid division of the feral stem cells or the ‘embryonic tissues’. “Hair Cloning” is the increment in the number of adult cells which are induced so as to obtain new hair.
“Hair Multiplication” deals with the increment in the adult hair structures. The hair follicles are too complicated and complex which makes very much difficult for the culturing. The ‘fibroblasts’ are eradicated from the scalps that are increased during the culturing, and these are inserted again in the scalp hoping that they induce the follicles to form once again.
“Follicular neogenesis” is used to describe the origination of the new follicles that are obtained from the inducer cells. These cells are cultured and are inserted into the scalp. This term is mostly used by ‘Aderans’. Then next term ‘Follicular Cell Regeneration’ is used by ‘Interctyex’.
Q: What are the differences in the approach made by ‘Aderans’ and ‘Intercytex’?
The “two-cell” approach is used by Aderans. The most effective way of producing the hair follicles is to have the use of the inducer and the responder cells together. They would get divided into many in numbers separately and finally are injected in the skin. The inducer cells are at the bottom of the follicles and the other cells are ‘keratinocyres’. They felt that the mixing of these two cells will have better result.
The “one-cell” approach is preferred by the Intercytex. They only inject the cultured inducer cells into the skin which will help in the formation of the new hair that is cosmetically acceptable. In the tests carried out by them, Intercyted used thee cultured dermal papilla cells with ‘keratinocytes’ which is kept beyond a Hap of a mouse without hair. Afterwards, the flap was somersaulted and allowed to grow the hair in normal condition. But it is unclear how this will be used for the humans.
Dr. Ralf Paus has a very different view regarding this topic who is a professor at the ‘University of Luebeck’ in Germany. According to him, there the main factor affecting the growth of the hair is the presence of the stem cells in the balding area in sufficient quantity. He thinks that the topical substances of ‘caragen’, ‘exogen’ or ‘terminalvellus’ transformation will be most efficient. ‘Finasteride’ and ‘Dutasteride’ are the medicines that work in the given way but these medicines do not show any significant change in the stimulation of the new growth of the hair. The ‘anagen inducer’, the topical ‘Minoxidil’ has very less chance of getting successful in alleviating the problem. In this situation, it is better to use the dormant hair follicles than that of the induced one.
Q: Any research is not observed in the medical literature that shows that donning is dose at hand, is something missing?
A: Colon Jahoda from UK worked out in the field of cloning with fascinating outputs. His work is vital as he make the identification to the inducer cell, ‘fibroblasts’ found outside the hair follicle which help in the stimulation of the skin for the production of new hair. The culturing of fibroblasts are easy and in theoretical prospective, the ‘fibroblasts’ can be alleviated from the sheaths and again cultured for the production of millions of follicles. These can be injected in the scalp again to have maximum hair follicles grown. The studies show that the fibroblasts from the male were injected in the forearm of the women who are not related genetically. The male-female aspect of his tests was publicized and is very much important for those with burnt parts. But the persons are more benefited by using the own fibroblasts cultured.
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