Baldness Be Gone?

efudddd writes "Science Daily has an interesting article about a new Nature paper; two chemical signals that turn stem cells into hair follicles have been identified. Implications are wider than just hair regrowth."

Comments

./beach

[wjvdt]

..."These studies raise the possibility that drugs to activate these natural factors could promote hair follicle growth in wanted places, and inhibitory drugs could prevent hair growth in unwanted places," she said.

How will we be able to recognize our fellow /.'ers at the beach in this new world?

Ethics, schmethics

[L. VeGas]

I'm going to clone myself, abort the fetus, get the stem cells, and grow hair again. Then maybe women will let me be promiscuous.

Ahh, I can dream can't I?

----
Lex Luther

Re:Ethics, schmethics

[mfifer]

Then maybe women will let me be promiscuous.

They'll be working on their own issues ;-)

One of the aspects that scientists have been trying to understand in development of hair follicles, tooth buds, mammary glands and lungs is how these various transduction pathways work together,? said Fuchs.

Oh joy!

[psyconaut]

This appears on /, the day AFTER I shaved my head!!!

-psy

Re:Finally!!!

[Simon Field]

Indeed.

"These studies raise the possibility that drugs to activate these natural factors could promote hair follicle growth in wanted places, and inhibitory drugs could prevent hair growth in unwanted places"

I love it that the name for a chemical signal involved in baldness is called "noggin".

As a balding guy who isn't that worried about it, I also like the idea that those people who are worried enough to spend a lot of money on baldness cures, will also be funding research into squamous cell carcinomas. I am much more concerned about losing someone to skin cancer than losing my hair.

This poses interesting valid questions

[SolemnDragon]

such as
-Is this going to lead to genuine cancer-related research, or are they going to go straight for the money and fame of introducing the latest chia-hair?
I'm thinking of Botox, and how it can be used for treating genuine muscular ailments, but is most widely known for its wrinkle-smoothing face-paralysing capacity...

On the other hand, i guess i know the sad but true answer to this one: the research follows the money. So Maybe we aren't looking for a cure for Melanoma here... but the bald might die prettier??

Cynicism aside, this IS serious stuff, and we COULD be looking at a way to deal with more serious skin ailments, and it will certainly put a damper on the serious scars that people are still occasionally getting from laser hair removal, or those home electrolysis kits.... (talk about a dangerous product) How long before we have do-it-yourself home stem-cell-into-hair-follicle sets?

Ear hair? Fine hair follicles?

[phorm]

I would be interested in how this would help people with problems related to the smaller-scale hairlike follicles that are found in the ear (cilia). Some people experience hearing loss due to damaged cilia, though I believe in many it's due to damage to the "stirrup."

Hair is more than just that which is on your head (or visible on the rest of your body). Knowing more about the creation/behavior of the tiny hairs which line various internal parts of our bodies, and moreover being able to fix them, could be very useful indeed

Re:Ear hair? Fine hair follicles?

[C21]

more important than the inner ear, what about the lungs, and the damage incurred from smoking. Being able to genetically modify and regrow that cilia would help TREMENDOUSLY.