Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 1/14/2012

Question
QUESTION: How far along are scientists in the cloning department? I think some people claim they actually have cloned a person, and I'm pretty sure a sheep was cloned even though it didn't live as long as its quazi-sibling. But how about as far as individual cells? Namely hair follicles? I'd like to think that someday when I can afford hair transplants, so long as I have one good hair left on my head I could use it to produce all the rest I'll ever need. lol.

ANSWER: Dear James,

Individual cells and things like hair follicles are not really the realm of cloning so much as tissue and cell culture. And those things are quite sophisticated these days.  I don't know if anyone is considering commercially culturing hair follicles for transplant, but they already are doing surgical hair "enhancement" by taking follicles from the lower part of the back of the scalp and transplanting them to where the hair is thin.  That's about where folks are with it at the moment, though.

There's a project in there for you somewhere.  Whoever is successful at monoclonal hair follicle culture and transplant will be a wealthy person, for sure!

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So what would make replicating hairs so difficult? Why haven't they been able to do that? It seems like it would be a pretty simple item. Yes I am aware of transplanting from the back of head to closer to the top, but that is highly abrasive, and transplanting hair from other parts of the body has been done pretty commonly, but those types of hairs are not really head hair, and could really alter a person's appearance.

Answer
Hi, James

If we knew what makes certain types of structures difficult to clone, then we probably could overcome those barriers.  But unfortunately, we don't really know.  

A hair follicle isn't really a simple structure.  It has a complex anatomy and neural connections.  So cloning one would not be a simple matter.

Wish I had a better answer, but I guess people are currently focusing more on cloning and creating vital organs, not hair follicles.  I'm not working in that field, so can't really say much more.

Good luck on the quest, though!  :)

Dana