cloning hair - How far??

[hero85]

Hey guys.

 

How far are we with cloning hair?

We are probably all agree that when the day comes, that is when hair problems are over (if you have the money)

 

 

Hero

[Tsakalos]

i dont think it will be any time soon

[Blake Bloxham]

Hero85,

 

This is definitely a tricky subject, and I'm not sure if anyone has a definite answer. As far as hair multiplication (cloning) is concerned, a company called Aderans (you can google it to review their studies) is probably one of the bigger names working on the issue. Again, I'm uncertain when these breakthroughs will occur, and also unsure if they will truly be a stand alone restorative option. I think the shared opinion of this community (towards future hair treatments) is "cautiously optimistic."

[mahhong]

Hair cloning is difficult to define as many people take it to mean different things. Most companies aren't working on directly cloning hair at the moment but instead are looking at similar but slightly different approaches like taking stem cells from healthy bald resistant follicles, multiplying them in a dish and then injecting them into bald areas to promote bald resistance in follicles that no longer producer hair.

 

There are other variations but most promising treatments at the moment revolve around the concept of stem cells or formulas that allow your follicles to produce hair again. This, however, technically isn't hair cloning.

 

Strictly speaking hair cloning is actually creating new follicles from your genetic material. In principle this sounds easy when you hear of the other genetic feats that have been accomplished (Dolly the sheep being the most obvious). But the truth is hair cloning is incredibly, incredibly complex. Creating a sheep embryo isn't all that difficult because an embryo is genetically relatively simple (much like stem cells). But a hair follicle is a very specific, immensely detailed concoction of cells.

 

To use a not so great example it's sort of like drawing. If someone asks you to draw a house any decent artist can make a good drawing of it. But if someone asks you to draw a small section of the carpet of that house it's much more difficult, because the detail required to create a faithful drawing is much bigger. Most scientists equate cloning a hair follicle with cloning a human eyeball.

 

So, in terms of pure hair cloning, we're probably a long way off. I doubt it's a treatment many of us will see being used regularly, safely and cost effectively in our lifetimes. The plus side, however, is that it may not be the best way forward for hair restoration anyway. Cloned hair requires transplantation into the scalp to work. The cost of cloning and transplanting what could theoretically be 30-40,000+ follicles into the scalp would be pretty large.

 

Today's treatments are focusing on making the follicles you have produce hair again, and that might be a better way to go. If we can successfully do that it may be a more cost effective and less complex way of creating a full head of hair. My own personal feeling is that the next stage of hair restoration will be combining transplants, which form the bulk of 'shaping' and designing your hair, with treatments that perhaps produce extra bulk and density in your hair, perhaps giving you 50-80% of your full density where transplantation alone can only offer maybe 30-50%.

 

The future for hair restoration looks good but we're a long way off a magic bullet. I would imagine the cost of getting a full head of hair again will unfortunately remain fairly high (although in the scheme of things it's not astronomical, for most people it's just about making sacrifices in other areas of their lives I guess) but the range of options and the complimentary approach of those options will make getting a great cosmetic look a mutli-disciplinary approach rather than a one off treatment.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Hair cloning is difficult to define as many people take it to mean different things. Most companies aren't working on directly cloning hair at the moment but instead are looking at similar but slightly different approaches like taking stem cells from healthy bald resistant follicles, multiplying them in a dish and then injecting them into bald areas to promote bald resistance in follicles that no longer producer hair.

 

There are other variations but most promising treatments at the moment revolve around the concept of stem cells or formulas that allow your follicles to produce hair again. This, however, technically isn't hair cloning.

 

Strictly speaking hair cloning is actually creating new follicles from your genetic material. In principle this sounds easy when you hear of the other genetic feats that have been accomplished (Dolly the sheep being the most obvious). But the truth is hair cloning is incredibly, incredibly complex. Creating a sheep embryo isn't all that difficult because an embryo is genetically relatively simple (much like stem cells). But a hair follicle is a very specific, immensely detailed concoction of cells.

 

To use a not so great example it's sort of like drawing. If someone asks you to draw a house any decent artist can make a good drawing of it. But if someone asks you to draw a small section of the carpet of that house it's much more difficult, because the detail required to create a faithful drawing is much bigger. Most scientists equate cloning a hair follicle with cloning a human eyeball.

 

So, in terms of pure hair cloning, we're probably a long way off. I doubt it's a treatment many of us will see being used regularly, safely and cost effectively in our lifetimes. The plus side, however, is that it may not be the best way forward for hair restoration anyway. Cloned hair requires transplantation into the scalp to work. The cost of cloning and transplanting what could theoretically be 30-40,000+ follicles into the scalp would be pretty large.

 

Today's treatments are focusing on making the follicles you have produce hair again, and that might be a better way to go. If we can successfully do that it may be a more cost effective and less complex way of creating a full head of hair. My own personal feeling is that the next stage of hair restoration will be combining transplants, which form the bulk of 'shaping' and designing your hair, with treatments that perhaps produce extra bulk and density in your hair, perhaps giving you 50-80% of your full density where transplantation alone can only offer maybe 30-50%.

 

The future for hair restoration looks good but we're a long way off a magic bullet. I would imagine the cost of getting a full head of hair again will unfortunately remain fairly high (although in the scheme of things it's not astronomical, for most people it's just about making sacrifices in other areas of their lives I guess) but the range of options and the complimentary approach of those options will make getting a great cosmetic look a mutli-disciplinary approach rather than a one off treatment.

 

 

I agree, and this was a very informative reply!

 

I too feel that conventional HTs, taking anti DHT meds, and stem cell injections all combined will be the likely "gold standard" approach for hairloss sufferers. I'm betting Histogen will be available in Asia within 5 years.

[Pale_Rider]

I agree, and this was a very informative reply!

 

I too feel that conventional HTs, taking anti DHT meds, and stem cell injections all combined will be the likely "gold standard" approach for hairloss sufferers. I'm betting Histogen will be available in Asia within 5 years.

 

Well I don?t agree completely. If you look at this article and many others you will see that they have already cloned esophagus, fingers, ears, bladders, heart, heart valves etc. So aren?t these organs and organ parts also "a small section of a carpet in the house"? I just can?t believe that they can?t clone some hair. Growing Body Parts - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Edited July 31, 2010 by Pale_Rider

[Al - Moderator]

Pale_Rider,

Those things are all in testing or experimental phases which is the same stage that hair regeneration or cloning is, which makes sense.

[Pale_Rider]

Well things are going fast. I?ve heard that a man in USA was treated with embrional stem cells and that it cured his gangrene toes that were set to be amputated due to diabetes complications. If you look what we had 10 years ago I must say that things have changed drastically. The biggest obstacle in this business is FDA, but some countries do not have these restrictions so they will enjoy this technology sooner, and serve as some sort of guinea pigs. If hair treatment comes in Asia, Europe, Africa, Moon first, I am flying there.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Pale_Rider

[JoeKid0000]

Hair cloning/multiplication would be awesome but I'm not getting my hopes up.

[Sparky]

If you think they havent already cloned hair folicles your kidding yourselfs.

[JoeKid0000]

If you think they havent already cloned hair folicles your kidding yourselfs.

 

When did this start?

[Sparky]

There isnt going to be anything available for years, cloning a single hair is completley different to cloning 20k of them.

[krapok]

aderans hopeully will come out with their technology 2014 (after 3,5 years).

[Guest jasikazenith]

Cloning hair means that the hair on the head is multiplied by cloning it,people await hair cloning, there can only be effective transplants of hair that has just been cloned onto the head of a human after successful research,hair cloning is an attempt to develop a method in which healthy follicle stem cells are harvested and multiplied,and is a good for a hair.

Edited August 18, 2010 by Future_HT_Doc
Removed promotional link.

[Pale_Rider]

What can you say about this?

 

Stem cell researchers may have found baldness cure - The Irish Times - Thu, Aug 19, 2010

[FinHairLoss]

Pale Rider and I are going to have lion's manes come 2015.

 

 

 

We gon get ourselves some of them here stem cells.....ya hear

[Pale_Rider]

Pale Rider and I are going to have lion's manes come 2015.

 

 

 

We gon get ourselves some of them here stem cells.....ya hear

 

Lil?o depression gotcha? don?t make yer catcha.

[FinHairLoss]

Get Hair or Die Tryin'

[Pale_Rider]

Get Hair or Die Tryin'

 

Well they?ll sure going to make hairloss a thing of a past, soon I believe. I believe that because there is an interest in it, a big, big money. And they really didn?t help humanity that great yet achieved a true fortune. People who have an HIV, cancer and other stuff have a reason to be down. This may sound cruel but that is the way moneymakers are these days cruel and greedy.

[Davis]

Well they?ll sure going to make hairloss a thing of a past, soon I believe. I believe that because there is an interest in it, a big, big money. And they really didn?t help humanity that great yet achieved a true fortune. People who have an HIV, cancer and other stuff have a reason to be down. This may sound cruel but that is the way moneymakers are these days cruel and greedy.

 

 

Good find with this article.

 

How far along are they with testing and how does this differ from aderans and/or histogens work?

 

The article mentioned it has worked on mice, any developments on human tissue?

[Pale_Rider]

Good find with this article.

 

How far along are they with testing and how does this differ from aderans and/or histogens work?

 

The article mentioned it has worked on mice, any developments on human tissue?

 

 

Histogen will start their phase II in Feb 2011. Aderans(who bought Intercytex - a british company who first cloned hair 1-2 years ago) will do another round of Phase II, they probably found something else even more effective during the first testing so they are trying that option too. Follica is silent but I have heard that someone talked to Daphne Zohar who told that things are moving fast and that we will hear from them soon. Trichoscience with Dr. Jerry Shapiro and Dr. Rolf Hoffman are also going to start Phase II testings in Europe(if haven?t already started it). There are other players too in the game and each day a small piece of a puzzle is being found which will lead us to the solution of the problem. When will that happen is unknown but if you examine what we had 10 years ago this is one hell of a step forward.

[miozambrotta19]

Histogen is starting phase I and II in feb 2011 and will last for 12 weeks. Aderans is doing a extended phase 2 trial and have expanded there trials to other states. They are still screening people for the trials. Go to there website to see a place doing trials near your area. Trichoscience haven't started any clinical trials yet but they told me in an email they will start first clinical trials in Oct of 2010. I also contacted Follica but they have no date for starting any clinical trial. I would say our best bet is Aderans and Histogen. Aderans, if all goes well will seek FDA approval by 2015 and Histogen, of all goes well will seek overseas approval for 2014. These dates for approval would be awesome but again, that is if all goes well. Let's cross our finger and hope all goes well in each trails and funding is available. Without good results and proper funding's, trails can be delayed for months, even years. Hopefully this is not the case and our optimism will pay off. We have no idea where these companies will be in 3-5 years and that's a scary thought. Lets just hope and pray they will be close to a solution for baldness. These companies make assumptions on dates but no one really has a clue when a solution will hit market. In 1992 a cure was 5 years away. 18 years have past and a cure is again 5 years away. Lets hope its true this time

[brentipold]

im hoping by 2013 for Histogen.. where did you hear it was 2014?

[miozambrotta19]

I spoke with CEO of Histogen over email and she told me the soonest would be 2014 for overseas and 2013 would be impossible. Figure, if they start phase 1 and 2 trials in Feb of 2011 that would run for one year before results are given. Then phase 3 would start some time in late 2012 or 2013 and then would run for another year before results are given and then it would hit the market. Without funding it could get pushed back again in later trials as it got pushed back a couple times for these first trials. 2013 would be literally impossible. There is promise in these technologies but no one has any idea how they'll go. I want to be optimistic about it but there still in the beginning phases. Anything could happen. The initial phases were promising, and hopefully the next trails show even better efficiency but at this point all we can do it cross our fingers and wait. Lest not over optimistic as we know what happened with other companies and technologies.

[miozambrotta19]

I spoke with CEO of Histogen over email and she told me the soonest would be 2014 for overseas and 2013 would be impossible. Figure, if they start phase 1 and 2 trials in Feb of 2011 that would run for one year before results are given. Then phase 3 would start some time in late 2012 or 2013 and then would run for another year before results are given and then it would hit the market. Without funding it could get pushed back again in later trials as it got pushed back a couple times for these first trials. 2013 would be literally impossible. There is promise in these technologies but no one has any idea how they'll go. I want to be optimistic about it but there still in the beginning phases. Anything could happen. The initial phases were promising, and hopefully the next trails show even better efficiency but at this point all we can do it cross our fingers and wait. Lest not over optimistic as we know what happened with other companies and technologies.