As we age, changes take place in our body. But sometimes, the changes in question do not always please us. For example, men can lose their hair over time, and there are some who deal with it, but there are also those who turn to beauty salons to try to find the hairstyle of their youth.
For those who want to have hair on their head again, there is a radical way, which is transplantation. But it is sometimes difficult to find hair well suited to the operation. This is why scientists came up with the idea of growing human hair on mouse.
According to Ernesto Lujan, biologist and founder of the medical startup dNovo, they managed to transplant human hair stem cells into a mouse.
How it works ?
From what we know, humans are born with all the hair stem cells they will have throughout their lives. So when these cells start to die, there is no way back.
However, as Lujan explains, his startup managed to create stem cells that can produce hair by genetically modifying other cells like ordinary skin cells. Lujan added that this technique could be used to treat the “underlying causes of hair loss.”
A booming market
dNovo isn’t the only company trying to find a cure for baldness. Many startups are indeed working in the field. But when it comes to the use of stem cells, more research is needed before a commercial treatment can be offered.
According to Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell researcher working at UC Davis, beware of scams. This shows that many offer solutions to cure baldness, but not all of them are guaranteed to work.
In any case, it will take a few more years before we can take advantage of stem cell technology. In the meantime, you can always choose a good wig or accept the fact that nature is not always kind.
SOURCE: Futurism