Baldness Cure A Step Closer: Scientists Regrow Hair In Mice

Gone could be the days of toupees, combovers and hair plugs. For mice, at least.

Researchers at UCLA who set out to study a stress-blocking chemical compound have instead struck gold: a potential cure for baldness.

The scientists discovered bald mice who were treated with the compound for five days grew back full heads of hair in just three months, according to the study published Wednesday in PLoS One.

The likely giddy research team repeated the experiment several more times to confirm. Sure enough, the mice's hair grew back each time, and the compound also showed promise in preventing hair loss.

"This could open new venues to treat hair loss in humans through the modulation of the stress hormone receptors, particularly hair loss related to chronic stress and aging," Million Mulugeta, an adjunct professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Popular Science.

So how legit is this? Well, it's unknown whether the treatment could actually work for humans. But the researchers were hopeful enough to apply for a patent to use the compound for hair growth.

According to The New York Times, the reaction from the dermatology and hair loss community is mixed. The Times writes:

Dr. George Cotsarelis, chairman of the dermatology department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said any treatment developed from the research would probably be useful only for hair loss related to stress, likes that caused by one-time events, rather than as a treatment for genetic baldness.

Even if you're skeptical about this week's news, there's still cause to hope for a baldness cure. In December, German researchers (also studying mice) discovered stem cells could be used to regrow hair follicles. Again, it remains to be seen if the treatment is also effective in humans.

Comments

[MaryMay]

11:03 AM on 02/26/2011

Our last bald president was Eisenhower. Men with a full head of hair fare better in business and politics, not to mention the movie business. I personally don't have an issue with baldness, but have noticed that most of the older actors who still get jobs still have their hair, so there must be something aesthetically pleasing about it.

[JackHoffman]

03:15 AM on 02/22/2011

Mice get all the luck. They're all cancer-free and hairy if we are to believe all these studies over time.

[santiago sherwood]

05:40 PM on 02/21/2011

Bald is not an illness, As a balding man please stop spending money on vanity and study something useful.

[Mikeeee]

10:39 AM on 02/19/2011

You're kidding right? People are dying daily because they have no access to a decent health care system and you're talking about fixing "traumatic" balding?

[IndependentTogether]

05:34 PM on 02/19/2011

And you're posting here instead of volunteering 100% of your time to help those without health care;) Seriously, though... the story says the scientists set out to study a stress-blocking chemical. Even so, there is nothing wrong with researching baldness cures. Much research that you may think of as frivolous may have wider applications.

[G Bikin]

12:10 PM on 02/20/2011

Good point, Mikeeee. But, frankly, most people spend their doing things that don't help the health or social welfare of others. They spend their days making money to help themselves, their own welfare and health, rather than that of the less fortunate. If we had more people working to stop homelessness, improve access to health, stop pollution, prevent crime, etc. the world would probably been a much better place and that includes the humanity.

[DrBlunt]

07:17 AM on 02/19/2011

Great News!

UCLA - PLEASE contact me to be the first trial volunteer... ";~')

[Lisa Spurgeon Bullock]

01:12 AM on 02/19/2011

My husband is now dreaming of a mohawk. Please don't let this work on men, lol.

[farmilyman]

11:39 PM on 02/18/2011

Baldness isn't a disease hence no "cure" is necessary.

[IndependentTogether]

05:37 PM on 02/19/2011

It all depends on how you define "disease". In the truest definition of "disease", baldness certainly is one.

[mbroo]

04:05 PM on 02/20/2011

That depends on who it's affecting and how they see it...so in that sense I think it is.

[WSAY]

09:09 PM on 02/18/2011

OK ladies - now a bunch of us guys are arguing at work. Which is better, gray hair or bald?

[Lisa Spurgeon Bullock]

01:10 AM on 02/19/2011

I don't mind either.

[ChicagoDMT]

09:00 PM on 02/18/2011

"In December, German researchers (also studying mice) discovered stem cells could be used to regrow hair follicles."

If scientists can figure out how to regrow hair by using stem cells, republicans will make a giant U-turn in regards to abortion.

If scientists can figure out how to use stem cells to elongate a certain male part of the anatomy, republicans will make abortions mandatory.

[hxwhite]

08:28 PM on 02/18/2011

Hey guys, don't worry about loosing your hair. It's a sign of high testosterone which is kind of sexy.

[WSAY]

09:02 PM on 02/18/2011

That is a myth.

[hxwhite]

09:48 PM on 02/18/2011

Not according to this Pub Med study.

"A 64-year-old woman presented to a dermatologist with male pattern hair loss and was found to have grossly elevated testosterone"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963535/

[Shakespearean]

05:58 PM on 03/21/2011

You're kinda sexy.

[Raver101]

08:04 PM on 02/18/2011

Improving the human condition will always find its way. Accidental discoveries have brought us everything from penicillin to aspirin and various other medications. There is nothing sad about scientist developing a potential cash cow to further research in other fields. I say go for it, innovate and help cure baldness. Happiness and confidence is a natural component to good health!

[drumz]

04:08 PM on 02/18/2011

The only side effect is instead of running to work you will be scurrying that is if you have a job...

[scoobanchi]

04:06 PM on 02/18/2011

My heart skipped a beat. The day my bald head needs an Afro pick is the day I rule the world! Thank you, scientists. Maybe focus more on the AIDs or cancer. Just a suggestion.

[WSAY]

09:03 PM on 02/18/2011

We have spent billions on cancer research. Nearly zero results.

[harrysmatic]

02:08 PM on 02/18/2011

Besides the humorous comments,what we experience in our times,

with the proliferation of instant

reporting of news on internet,is that painful truth...

So many cures work for mice or other ...animals,but fail to work for...humans...

Our expectations rise high instantly & then..the truth lands us abruptly.

As for baldies,go Savallas / Brynner...Many successes with women...

[ml 82]

10:45 AM on 02/18/2011

I think these researchers should spend their time and money to try and find cure for Cancer, Aid, and other life threatening illnesses

[newworldman777]

11:17 AM on 02/18/2011

"Researchers at UCLA who set out to study a stress-blocking chemical compound have instead struck gold: a potential cure for baldness."

The scientists were seeking a relevant scientific breakthrough regarding a "stress-blocking chemical compound" when they accidentally stumbled upon this possible result. Lucky accidents occasionally happen, and when they do, embrace them instead of criticize them.

[WSAY]

09:05 PM on 02/18/2011

Agreed. A few years back they were trying to treat rheumatoid arthritis and they discovered a treatment for psoriasis. It happens.

[VeryGrood]

12:08 PM on 02/18/2011

1st- I completely agree with newworldman777

2nd- Why do you feel you have the right to dictate to scientists what they should do with their lives? Just to take your assessment 1 step further... Every single person who is doing something other than trying to cure life threatening diseases is useless. The people running this site? They're not saving lives. Movie stars and professional athletes? All worthless.

[ml 82]

10:40 PM on 02/18/2011

I say worthless because it wont cure my soon to be bald head cause by genetics, being selfish :)