Research into the way hair follicles are regenerated, or not, when a wound is healing have zeroed in on the differences between humans and mice and spotted what might be the key. We look closer.
Wound Regeneration
There is a distinct difference between humans and mice in how they recover from a wound, at least in regards to how the hair follicles in the affected area regenerate. When a mouse has a wound the healing process sees a two or three fold increase in the number of new hair follicles produced, whereas in a human the wound will simply scar with no new hair follicles forming. Clearly, identifying the trigger might present opportunities to provide therapeutic treatments for humans suffering from hair and scalp disorders.
Key Growth Factor Identified
The team of researchers, from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were investigating the difference and noticed that a key growth factor, called Fgf9, is only found in humans in very limited quantities – when this same factor is over-expressed in mice there was a two to three fold increase in the number of new hair follicles produced.
George Cotsarelis MD, professor and chair of dermatology, said “The findings help explain why humans don’t regenerate their hair after wounding. The study also points us to a way to treat wounds and grow hair.”
Is It A Cure For Hair Loss?
The work of the Pennsylvania State team suggests that there might be the possibility of a hair loss treatment that can be derived from their results. But if Fgf9 is to be effective it would need to be timed to precisely work in cahoots with the wounding response.
HIS Hair Clinic
This piece of research struck us immediately as a cut above the norm. Cutting edge stuff. Being able to study the neural pathways and interfering with their processes is the result of some great advances in technology. Results like those from Pennsylvania should encourage us all that the future hold something more promising for hair loss sufferers than coffee flavoured shampoo.
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