Cure for baldness on the anvil?

Washington, Sep 3
It seems the cure for baldness is on the anvil, for scientists claim they have discovered the source of signals that trigger hair growth.

A team at Yale University has identified stem
cells within the skin's fatty layer and showed that molecular
signals from these cells were necessary to spur hair growth in
mice, the 'Cell' journal reported.

ÒIf we can get these fat cells in the skin to talk to the
dormant stem cells at the base of hair follicles, we might be
able to get hair to grow again,Ó said Prof Valerie Horsley,
who led the team.

Men with male pattern baldness still have stem cells
in follicle roots but these stem cells lose the ability to
jump-start hair regeneration. Scientists have known that these
follicle stem cells need signals from within the skin to grow
hair, but the source of those signals has been unclear.

The team observed that when hair dies, the layer of
fat in the scalp that comprises most of the skin's thickness
shrinks. When hair growth begins, the fat layer expands in a
process called adipogenesis.

The scientists found that a type of stem cell involved
in creation of new fat cells -- adipose precursor cells -- was
required for hair regeneration in mice. They also found these
cells produce molecules called PDGF (platelet derived growth
factors), which are necessary to produce hair growth.

Now, the team is trying to identify other signals
produced by adipose precursor stem cells that may play a role
in regulating hair growth.