I'm going bald and I'm behind the 8 Ball.
Posted on 05/26/2009 11:09:46 AM PDT by Schnucki
* Study finds hair loss gene in mice * Gene shared by both mice and humans * Could lead to cure of baldness in humans
EXPERIMENTS on mice have revealed a gene that is linked to early hair loss, a Japanese researcher said today, sparking hopes for a treatment to prevent thinning and baldness in humans.
The research team found that the absence of a gene known as Sox21 -- which it said is shared by humans and mice -- can lead to early hair loss.
The scientists biologically engineered mice by blocking the gene and found that the rodents started losing hair on their heads about 15 days after birth and became completely naked a week later.
"Normally, new hair appears right after old hair falls out," said Yumiko Saga, a mammalian development professor at the National Institute of Genetics.
"But the hair of these mice fell out very early, making their bald periods longer," she said, adding that although the mice started to grow new fur, the replacement hair also kept falling out quickly.
The Sox21 gene has in the past been shown to be linked to the formation of nerve cells, but the Japanese study was the first to indicate its function in ensuring hair retention, she said by telephone.
"It is entirely possible that the gene is also a cause of thinning hair among humans", Saga said.
The study, jointly conducted with Hideyuki Okano, professor at the School of Medicine at Tokyo's Keio University, found that the lack of the gene leads to the improper formation of cuticles, the outer layer of hair.
"Cuticles usually have a scaled structure, locking hair in the scalp," said Saga. Blocking the gene in the mice meant that their cuticles lacked this structure, making the hair fall out more quickly,
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
If I didn’t do such a cunning and undetectable comb over I might find this interesting.
Hurry please.
Forget the tests-I’m buying!
Great news for bald mice.
Women married to mice will be thrilled.
1. New drug approval takes 11 years, typically
2. Would be the first approved gene-based therapy —longer than 11 years, then, most likely
3. Companies would try to structure the treatment so that doses would be required forever
Still very interesting, of course
For a moment I thought this said "mammarian development professor"...
I look at it as: "Less hair to comb, more face to wash."
I don't recall who said that first, but he was right.
Eleven years? I’ll have cornered the Finasteride market by then.
Three bald mice, three bald mice, see how they ....
yes....mine is thinning by the day....
What, you’ll turn into young Bill Gates?
What did you do?....stick your finger in a light socket?
Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street.
Have we cured cancer yet?
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