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Hair Regrowth GenesThe study, published at Nature, was done with mice and involved researchers damaging the skin tissue. This started a healing process in the skin that triggered an embryonic state in the skin in which dormant genes were re-awakened. These genes, or wnt proteins, instructed stem cells to move to the area of the injury and begin to make new hair follicles. The new hair that was grown on the mice was indistinguishable from their existing hair. What is more interesting, was that by increasing or reducing the levels of the proteins produced by these genes, the scientists were able to increase or decrease the number of new hair follicles that grew. These findings may lead to possible pathways for treating one of the most visible signs of aging in men, that of losing hair to male pattern baldness, of which 80% is thought to be due to genetics. The breakthrough research was done by George Cotsarelis and his team at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Cotsarelis, the leading scientist on the study, has helped to set up a company, Follica, that will attempt to bring the treatment to the marketplace for an effective hair loss treatment based on the finding. In his opinion, optimistically, in two to three years they may have a product or treatment available for the mass market. Hair Regrowth Genes - StudiesWnt-dependent de novo hair follicle regeneration in adult mouse skin after wounding. Mayumi Ito, Zaixin Yang, Thomas Andl, Chunhua Cui, Noori Kim, Sarah E. Millar & George Cotsarelis. Nature 447, 316-320 (17 May 2007).
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