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• Proteins for brain cells could lead to a cure for baldness

• HairSite Editorial - 3/15/99

• HairSite

"According to New Scientist Magazine, proteins that make brain cells grow could lead to new drugs to prevent baldness or help people get rid of unwanted hair. German dermatologists at Humboldt University in Berlin carried out experiments on shaved mice which showed growth factors in the brain triggered the formation of hair follicles. "This is the first evidence that growth factors previously thought to be important for the development of brain cells are also important for the growth of hair follicles," Ralf Paus told the magazine. Paus and his colleagues showed that two growth factors and the genes that produce them might also trigger follicle shrinkage. Mice genetically-modified to churn out too much of one of the growth factors lost their hair earlier than usual. Mice that could not produce either protein kept their hair much longer than normal. The scientists said the two substances worked by binding with a receptor on a cell. Drugs designed to block the receptor could prevent baldness, while others could increase hair loss by mimicking the action of the proteins. Paus said it was too early to tell whether his results were relevant to humans because human hair growth was much more erratic than that of mice."