Michael Zuk paid $32,000 for the souvenir two years ago, and at the time said he’d put it on display in his practice.
Now he’s revealed he’s working with US scientists in an attempt to extract DNA from the tooth.
Zuk states: “I am nervous and excited at the possibility that we will be able to fully sequence John Lennon’s DNA – very soon, I hope.
“With researchers working on ways to clone mammoths, the same technology certainly could make human cloning a reality.
“To potentially say I had a small part in bringing back one of rock’s greatest stars would be mind-blowing.”
The item came to auction via Barry Jarlett, the son of a woman who was once Lennon’s housekeeper. At the end of the 1960s he handed the tooth to her saying: “Will you dispose of this? Or, as your daughter is a Beatles fan, you can give it to her.” Lennon died in 1980 after being shot by Mark Chapman.
Zuk had previously sent the tooth on a tour of the UK to promote mouth cancer awareness and he’s been selling a range of Lennon DNA pendants. His research programme is being filmed by a UK documentary team.
He’s set up a website called JohnLennonTooth.com.
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