New Hair Gene Found!

[since13]

Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation responsible for a disorder that causes people to sprout thick hair on their faces and bodies.

Hypertrichosis, sometimes called "werewolf syndrome" is a very rare condition, with fewer than 100 cases documented worldwide. But researchers knew the disorder runs in families, and in 1995 they traced the approximate location of the mutation to a section of the X chromosome (one of the two sex chromosomes) in a Mexican family affected by hypertrichosis.

Men with the syndrome have hair covering their faces and eyelids, while women grow thick patches on their bodies. In March, a Thai girl with the condition got into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's hairiest child.

A man in China with congenital hypertrichosis helped researchers break the case. Xue Zhang, a professor of medical genetics at the Peking Union Medical College, tested the man and his family and found an extra chunk of genes on the X chromosome. The researchers then returned to the Mexican family and also found an extra gene chunk (which was different from that of the Chinese man) in the same location of their X chromosomes. [Top 10 Worst Hereditary Conditions]

The extra DNA may switch on a hair-growth gene nearby, resulting in runaway furriness. The best bet for a culprit, wrote study researcher Pragna Patel of the University of Southern California, is a gene called SOX3, which is known to play a role in hair growth.

"If in fact the inserted sequences turn on a gene that can trigger hair growth, it may hold promise for treating baldness or hirsutism [excessive hair growth] in the future, especially if we could engineer ways to achieve this with drugs or other means," Patel said in a statement.

The study is detailed in the June 2 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

[DepressedByHairLoss]

This is so typical of these so-called researchers and their laboratory findings. They find some minute little detail, say that it 'might', 'could', or 'may' lead to ways to treat hair loss, yet never test their findings on humans. All they do is test on mice in the laboratories. Some of these so-called researchers and their findings are about as worthless as hogshit on a backhoe.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I did see the special on TV that showed that family in Mexico. Very wild. The fact that gentetic hair loss is not life threatening makes it not as high a priority to find a cure or cause compared to many other gerntic defects or diseases.

[Follicle Death Row]

I did see the special on TV that showed that family in Mexico. Very wild. The fact that gentetic hair loss is not life threatening makes it not as high a priority to find a cure or cause compared to many other gerntic defects or diseases.

Exactly Dr. Charles. I have this gut feeling that hairloss will be cured as an offshoot of some more pressing health issue that will be tackled by the regenerative medicine field which is really gathering steam now thanks largely to Dr. Anthony Atala. As for when, who knows at this point.

[Follicle Death Row]

No doubt there will be a solution. Could be 10 years away, could be less. If you see what Dr. Atala and the Wake Forest Institute are doing then it stands to reason that it won't be too far off.

http://www.wakehealth.edu/WFIRM/

If not for the general populace then let's hopefully see a solution for those that need it most. Then in time we can also benefit. Here's a great example of how hair restoration can dramatically change someone's life. This goes far beyond the whole self image and cosmetic insecurities that MPB sufferers have. A radical transformation indeed. I'm sure life improved 100 fold for this man. Puts into perspective our own follicular foibles.

http://www.hairlossexperiences.com/v...&jump_to=17091

[DepressedByHairLoss]

I hope to God that there is a solution; I pray for it all the times. I don't plan on living the rest of my life with male pattern baldness. However, in order for a solution to be, there has to be some testing on humans and not all of these 'discoveries' that certain chemicals grow hair on mice, but are never translated to human use.