May 18, 2007 (Insidermedicine)  A cure for baldness may be just around the corner. Scientists have successfully grown new hair in mice using a protein that stimulates follicle generating genes in wounded skin, according to research published in the journal Nature.

Baldness, also known as alopecia, is an absence of hair. It can occur anywhere on the body where hair grows, but is usually most noticeable on the scalp. It is thought to be caused by a combination of aging, change in hormones, illness, history of baldness in the family, or trauma. Prior to this study, it was generally believed that once hair follicles die, through baldness or skin damage, they cannot be regenerated.

Available treatments, including medications to promote hair growth, hair transplants, scalp reduction surgery, and skin grafts are generally not very effective, and can be time-consuming and costly.

In the present study, researchers took patches of wounded skin from mice and observed that skin cells not previously associated with hair follicles adopted the properties of stem cells and began to generate follicles as the skin healed.

In a second experiment, genetically engineered mice were used that express higher levels of a protein called Wnt that are implicated in hair follicle development. These mice produced twice the amount of hair compared to normal mice under the same conditions. It appears that wound healing triggers an embryonic state in the skin which makes it receptive to receiving instructions from Wnt proteins.

The discovery sheds new light on the way skin works, providing convincing evidence that skin can be regenerated, not just repaired.

These findings go beyond just a possible treatment for baldness. If the research can be replicated in humans, there is the potential for curing hair and scalp disorders, such as scarring, alopecia, and hair overgrowth.

Reporting for Insidermedicine, I'm Dr. Yi Ning Strube.