Virginia Surgical Center is constantly interested in new scientific and technical improvements in hair transplantation. We are also active in researching new developments so that even better techniques may be developed in the future.
High-tech research is providing new hope. And while these methods are still some way from becoming commercially available just yet, cloning and gene therapy may one day reduce limitations in the donor area.
The thinking behind gene therapy is to introduce new DNA into a patient's hair cells. This new DNA will then prevent cells from being affected by the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) hormone that is responsible for Male Pattern Baldness.
However, the study is still in its infancy. And despite certain genes being identified to cause hair loss, there are still a large number of other factors causing hair loss. With this in mind, a great deal of research needs to be done before gene therapy becomes a reality.
Cloning hair follicles is a fairly new technology. Considered something of a Holy Grail for people suffering from hair loss because of its promise of an unlimited supply of hair from a single strand, the method is keenly debated. And although it is an exciting breakthrough, it will require another ten years of research before the method is commercially available.
There are currently two organizations that are conduction serious research into developing a commercially viable way of multiplying bald resistant donor follicles. They are Aderans headquartered in Japan and Intercytex based in England.
Hair cloning is a lay term for tissue developed hair growth. The approach currently underway involves extracting single hair cells from the hair-loss-resistant donor area and attempting to replicate in the laboratory. These "dermal papilla" cells mature into hair follicles in a process known as follicular neogenesis. If they can be stimulated to multiply, then theoretically there could be no limit to the number that could be grown in the laboratory and then transplanted back into the scalp from which they originated.
However, controlling the direction of new hair growth has been problematic. Many believe that such hair cell implantation will initially be used as filler hair, primarily on the top and crown area, with critical areas such as the hairline being transplanted using conventional FUE grafts. The cost of this laboratory intensive procedure is also expected to exceed conventional hair transplantation when introduced.
At this point in time, it is not recommended that patients wait for cloning. If and when hair cell implantation does arrive in the future, it could well be used to create even greater levels of density and fullness behind the transplanted hairline
