Cure??? - Found in London Times

[Manko]

I found this in an article in the London Times - maybe there's an even better answer. Keep hope alive.

 

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Scientists offer hope of cure for baldness

By Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent

 

THE chemical triggers that turn skin into hair have been identified, offering hope of new treatments for baldness and unwanted body hair.

A pair of natural proteins combine to tell cells to become hair follicles rather than skin, according to new research that explains why hair grows "??? and stops growing "??? in some parts of the body and not in others.

 

The findings, by scientists in the United States, suggest that it will be possible to develop drugs that mimic the crucial chemical signals and restore a full head of hair to men who have lost it. The principle could also be reversed to create advanced depilatory treatments that inhibit the same process and remove unsightly hair.

 

Elaine Fuchs, who led the study at Rockefeller University in New York, said that the results were a breakthrough. "Drugs to activate these natural factors could promote hair follicle growth in wanted places, and inhibitory drugs could prevent hair growth in unwanted places," she said.

 

Hair follicles and skin are formed from the same sort of stem cells "??? master cells genetically programmed so that they can form either variety. Although this has long been understood, the precise instructions that tell skin stem cells to form one type of cell or the other have remained unclear.

 

Hair loss occurs when follicles shrink and become dormant, often under the influence of male hormones. New follicles are not usually formed in adults, making baldness permanent, but the raw material for making fresh ones "??? stem cells that replace the skin every two weeks "??? is abundant in the scalp.

 

The Rockefeller research, which is published today in the journal Nature, may have revealed a way to unlock this potential supply of replacement hair.

 

"There is an enormous reservoir of stem cells there," Dr Fuchs said. "To understand the biology and development of stem cells in general, we are trying to answer the question of whether we can coax some ??skin' stem cells to become hair. These findings reveal some of the natural signals that promote the process of forming hair follicles."

 

The key molecules are proteins known as noggin and Wnt, which combine to prompt skin stem cells to make follicles. They activate genetic instructions that tell cells to make a pit in the skin, from which hair will grow.

 

In previous studies Dr Fuchs used the signalling protein betacatenin to create abnormally furry mice. But the animals also grew benign tumours. The new research has found a more fundamental set of signals that prompt hair growth. She has also identified the delicate interaction between noggin and Wnt.

 

More research is needed before a hair loss drug based on the process is available, particularly because of the risk of cancer if it goes wrong. Clinical trials are not expected for at least five years. The work is also expected to cast light on the formation of other structures in the body, such as teeth and lungs, and on the origins of some forms of skin cancer.

 

Hair-raising facts

 

Number of hairs on a full scalp: 100,000-150,000 Growth rate: healthy hair grows at about 0.35mm (1/72in) daily, or 2.5cm (1in) every 2?? months

Most common type of baldness: androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) "??? 95 per cent of hair loss in men Cause: dihydrotestosterone, a hormone interfering with hair growth

Onset: as early as 15, but normally starts in 20s Prevalence: almost 70 per cent of men show signs of thinning by 40; 50 per cent of women show signs by 50 Surgical treatments: hair grafts or transplants

Drug treatments: Propecia can stop loss for up to 80 per cent of men, and Rogaine has some effect for one in three

[Manko]

I found this in an article in the London Times - maybe there's an even better answer. Keep hope alive.

 

--------------------------

Scientists offer hope of cure for baldness

By Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent

 

THE chemical triggers that turn skin into hair have been identified, offering hope of new treatments for baldness and unwanted body hair.

A pair of natural proteins combine to tell cells to become hair follicles rather than skin, according to new research that explains why hair grows "??? and stops growing "??? in some parts of the body and not in others.

 

The findings, by scientists in the United States, suggest that it will be possible to develop drugs that mimic the crucial chemical signals and restore a full head of hair to men who have lost it. The principle could also be reversed to create advanced depilatory treatments that inhibit the same process and remove unsightly hair.

 

Elaine Fuchs, who led the study at Rockefeller University in New York, said that the results were a breakthrough. "Drugs to activate these natural factors could promote hair follicle growth in wanted places, and inhibitory drugs could prevent hair growth in unwanted places," she said.

 

Hair follicles and skin are formed from the same sort of stem cells "??? master cells genetically programmed so that they can form either variety. Although this has long been understood, the precise instructions that tell skin stem cells to form one type of cell or the other have remained unclear.

 

Hair loss occurs when follicles shrink and become dormant, often under the influence of male hormones. New follicles are not usually formed in adults, making baldness permanent, but the raw material for making fresh ones "??? stem cells that replace the skin every two weeks "??? is abundant in the scalp.

 

The Rockefeller research, which is published today in the journal Nature, may have revealed a way to unlock this potential supply of replacement hair.

 

"There is an enormous reservoir of stem cells there," Dr Fuchs said. "To understand the biology and development of stem cells in general, we are trying to answer the question of whether we can coax some ??skin' stem cells to become hair. These findings reveal some of the natural signals that promote the process of forming hair follicles."

 

The key molecules are proteins known as noggin and Wnt, which combine to prompt skin stem cells to make follicles. They activate genetic instructions that tell cells to make a pit in the skin, from which hair will grow.

 

In previous studies Dr Fuchs used the signalling protein betacatenin to create abnormally furry mice. But the animals also grew benign tumours. The new research has found a more fundamental set of signals that prompt hair growth. She has also identified the delicate interaction between noggin and Wnt.

 

More research is needed before a hair loss drug based on the process is available, particularly because of the risk of cancer if it goes wrong. Clinical trials are not expected for at least five years. The work is also expected to cast light on the formation of other structures in the body, such as teeth and lungs, and on the origins of some forms of skin cancer.

 

Hair-raising facts

 

Number of hairs on a full scalp: 100,000-150,000 Growth rate: healthy hair grows at about 0.35mm (1/72in) daily, or 2.5cm (1in) every 2?? months

Most common type of baldness: androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) "??? 95 per cent of hair loss in men Cause: dihydrotestosterone, a hormone interfering with hair growth

Onset: as early as 15, but normally starts in 20s Prevalence: almost 70 per cent of men show signs of thinning by 40; 50 per cent of women show signs by 50 Surgical treatments: hair grafts or transplants

Drug treatments: Propecia can stop loss for up to 80 per cent of men, and Rogaine has some effect for one in three