oneworldtalk

Aussie scientists search for bald gene

Sunday June 14, 2009

There have been plenty of promises and let-downs in the past, but Australian scientists are working on a new cure for baldness.

The scientists are trying to clone hair by using stem cells.

A team in Melbourne has been extracting adult stem-cells from hair follicles, and are attempting to coax them into spawning new follicles.

And, they say prevention is better than a cure.

The team is also trying to pin down exactly which genes cause baldness in the first place.

Scientists have identified stem cells or master cells in the hair follicles of mice. They found that these cells grow into hair follicles and produce hair when transplanted into skin. George Cotsarelis, Assistant Professor of dermatology from the University of Pennsylvania, said that the study could lead to new ways of treating hair loss in humans through drugs or surgery.

The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, isolated the stem cells within the bulbous follicle at the base of a hair shaft. Sometimes these follicles go into a permanent resting phase, halting hair regeneration. When the researchers transplanted the stem cells into the skin of other mice, hair follicles began to re-grow within four weeks.

Scientists have long-suspected that hair follicles contained stem cells. However, it has proved difficult to isolate these cells in humans. This latest study raises hopes that they can now track these genes and identify stem cells in human hair follicles. "Ultimately, these findings provide potential targets for the treatment of hair loss and other disorders of skin and hair," the researchers wrote.

While the discovery could lead to new treatments for baldness and conditions like alopecia, the researchers believe it may also help burn victims. "One problem with a burn is that the wound is never covered with hair follicles," said Dr Cotsarelis. "These cells have that capability so if we can isolate them and seed them onto a wound we can constitute skin that is more normal than currently possible."

Source: http://www.norwichunion.com/frameset/health_e_talk.htm

Seven in 10 of them are men, and three are women, according to a study by Healthway Medical Group.

Treatment centres like Beijing 101 and Yun Nam Hair Care together have more than 10 outlets islandwide - from heartland areas such as Hougang and Jurong, to city malls like Ngee Ann City and Funan Mall.

They are also making inroads overseas, with branches opening in Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, and Shanghai in China.

To tap into this expanding market, Healthway Medical is setting up a specialised Hair Transplant Centre in November to treat hair problems.

It will be using a method known as Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) which it claims is "more refined" than present techniques. A follicular unit is a natural grouping of one or two hair follicles found in the skin.