Dr. Jerry
Cooley is a board certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon
in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a practice performing hair
transplantation surgery. He has als
o
performed research studies on cloning hair follicle cells while
at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
It is believed
that Dr Cooley is working with internationally recognized plastic
surgeon James Vogel, M.D., on hair cloning technology similar
to the research conducted by British biologist, Dr Colin Jahoda.
While not
much is known about the extent of his research, Dr Cooley has
previously stated the he thinks the technology will only be
available in about 10 years. He has given the following explanation:
"The chief
worry with using laboratory grown cells is that they might cause
tumors when placed back into the skin. So far cell therapy for
other applications has not been known to be associated with tumor
formation. Before granting approval, the FDA would require adequate
proof that implanted hair follicle cells did not give rise to
any tumors. Although the potential for cell therapy to provide
an answer to those suffering with hair loss is great, these obstacles
will prove challenging to researchers. Although a research group
may at any point unexpectedly report that they have achieved success
in these areas, the more likely scenario is many more years of
basic research before we know what role cell therapy will play
in the treatment of hair loss."
