- Health
Many people suffer from baldness. Although it is only a cosmetic problem, it can cause feelings of insecurity, especially when it is premature.
For the same reason, science has been searching for decades for effective treatments that help stop hair loss.
Now, a group of scientists proposes a particular solution after growing human hair cells in mice.
The biologist and founder of the medical company dNovo assured MIT Technology Review that his firm managed to transplant human hair stem cells into a mouse.
my icons on my desktop have been tiny for ages, finally figured how to make them bigger again, thank god
— vikki Sun Mar 17 19:01:47 +0000 2013
How does it work?
In the interview, the professional explains that the company has been able to create follicle-forming stem cells by genetically modifying other cells, such as those of normal skin.
He believes this technique could be used to treat "the underlying cause of hair loss."
However, although the prognosis is optimistic, the same scientist acknowledges that much more research is still needed before this stem cell treatment is commercially available.
In fact, on this very topic, stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler wrote on his blog that “you have to be on the lookout for scam offers,” which is pertinent considering the plethora of startups and companies out there. Recently they have offered a definitive cure for baldness.
Thus, everything indicates that people suffering from hair loss should look for other more specific methods while the innovative research with rats advances.