Stanford analysts find hair expansion trigger - San Jose Mercury Stories .

Damien Russell

02 August 2008

She and Dr Peter Marinkovich worked on a study about a molecule, called laminin-511, that triggers hair follicle expansion in mice and may do the same for humans.

Stanford Varsity analysts have highlighted a molecule that triggers hair follicle expansion in mice, treatment that one day could ultimately mean some shaggy dos, or at least a couple more strands, for humans who have experienced hair loss. The report, released today in the Book of Genes and Development, concentrates on a molecule called laminin-511. The molecule acts like an operator, transferring messages, or proteins, between the outer and inner layers of skin, an exchange that finally drives hair formation. Unlike Rogaine or Propecia, products that slow hair loss, analysts hope the laminin-511 could most likely regenerate the precise follicles that grow hair. "Loss of hair isn't going to murder anybody" claimed Dr Peter Marinkovich, the study's senior writer and an associate professor at Stanford College's College of Drugs . "At the same time, for some folks, hair loss could be an actually dire thing, particularly for women." he is hoping the treatment at last could help patients who suffer from alopecia, a disorder that may cause hair loss in patches, or speed up hair expansion for chemotherapy patients. Evidence implies laminin-511 could lead to over fuller heads of hair : analysts assume the molecule could have the facility to regenerate other developing tissues, like limbs or maybe organs ; but further tests are mandatory to appreciate precisely how that process works. The up to date study more obviously demonstrated the way in which the molecule transfers signals inside the skin in a way that especially excites follicle expansion. How shortly did scientists see results Mice injected with the purified molecule grew back hair in 2 weeks, at 1/2 the thickness of an ordinary rodent. But if you are itching for a dose of laminin-511 to revive your once long locks, hold off on purchasing that bottle of hair gel - Do-It-Yourself treatments are likely years away. The Stanford study presents a new understanding of how laminin-511 works, asserted Dr George Cotsarelis, director of the Hair and Scalp Hospital at the Varsity of Pennsylvania College of Drugs . But more clinical trials are mandatory to show how humans will react to the treatment. Marinkovich declared his group intends to repeat the tests on animals treated with chemotherapy and later on human subjects.