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A cure for baldness?
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Coming soon
- A cure for baldness, say German scientists, who claim
to have grown hair follicles from stem cells for the
first time.
Although
their research used cells taken from animals, the
scientists from Technical University in Berlin hope that
they can create human hair follicles from human stem
cells in a year’s time.
Stem cells
are the body’s master cells. With manipulation in the
laboratory, they can be grown into any tissue in the
human body from blood to bone and whole organs.
According
to lead scientist Prof Roland Lauster, the latest
research could be a step towards providing treatment for
the 80 per cent of people who suffer from hair loss
worldwide, the ‘Daily Express’ reported.
Prof
Lauster claims the treatment - which would probably
require the hair follicles to be implanted on to the
head - could be available in five years.
“Preparations for this are already in motion,” he said,
adding that the creation of skin and hair follicles in a
lab could also prevent the need for testing cosmetic
products on animals.
“Since 1950
the number of new chemicals used in cosmetics has risen
500—fold, and so has the need for animals to be
experimented upon to ensure they are safe for humans.
This could
well do away with the need for them to suffer,” he was
quoted as saying.
In 2004, a
team from the University of Pennsylvania in the US also
produced evidence that stem cell research could help
prevent baldness. However, as of yet, no baldness cure
has been invented.
Courtesy:
PTI /
http://www.thehindu.com/
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