Hair Loss Prevention Scientists Explore New Treatment

Is it possible the greatest advances in hair loss prevention may soon come from stem cell research? Hope is building for those who suffer from thinning hair due to male or female pattern baldness that some day soon a specially designed medication can cause the stem cell part of your hair follicles to spring back into production. Although this type of treatment may be several decades away, the stem cell research that has been underway at Rockefeller University is now paving the way for such a treatment. As you age the resting phase of the hair cycle gets longer and longer and for those predisposed genetically for pattern baldness, the hair follicles go into a more permanent phase of dormancy. It was believed by scientists working for the project, that stem cells in hair follicles did not divide frequently so they could maintain their potency. This reduction in stem cell division was a protective measure from wear and tear.

However, new data from recent research indicate that stem cells may not need as much protection as once assumed now that scientist have discovered the protein responsible for slowing down stem cell division. The scientists working the research project discovered that the protein NFATc1 slows down stem cell division in mice and when administered a drug called cyclosporine hair production radically increased as the stem cells increased their processes. When Cyclosporine was administered the hair growth phase was activated for those follicles that were in the resting phase.

During their ongoing research, scientists found that stem cells didn't need much rest to maintain their multi potent properties. It seems from the data gathered so far that the stem cells maintained their character without degradation, which should be good news for the future of hair loss prevention. Using genetically engineered mice these researchers found that when blocking NFATc1 production, hair radically increased and NFATc1 didn't stop the hair cycle, but rather shortened the resting phase and prompted advanced entry to the growth state. Researchers believe that it is possible to develop a local and more specific inhibitor of NFATc1 than the drug cyclosporine A to stimulate these stem cells to promote new hair growth without the side effects of dangerous tumor formation. The test they have run so far on mice showed no signs of tumorigenesis, which is often a dangerous byproduct of triggering stem cells into action. Elaine Fuchs, head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology made the following comments about their findings from their stem cell research.

"This is the first case where we have been able to activate the hair cycle without the accompanying signs of tumorigenesis". "If we can control the activation process of follicle stem cells without promoting tumorigenesis, then this would be a big move in the right direction." Though breakthroughs in the research laboratories offer great promise, it may take a decade or two before safe effective products will enter the market and have an impact on hair loss prevention. It's possible that the current research will relegate male and female pattern baldness as a thing of the past.

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