Hair Today
January 2000
in “
BioScience
”
TLDR The document concludes that understanding hair biology is key to treating hair disorders, with gene therapy showing potential as a future treatment.
The document from 2000 discussed the biological functions of hair, the structure of the hair follicle, and the hair growth cycle, emphasizing the importance of understanding these for treating hair growth disorders. It covered genetic hair disorders like androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata, and the identification of genes related to hair loss, including the hairless gene mutation. The document also explored the genetic and molecular mechanisms of hair follicle development, highlighting the role of genes such as FGF5 and ß-catenin, and the potential of hair follicle stem cells for gene therapy. A successful human hair transplant experiment indicated the possibility of immune privilege in hair follicles, suggesting new avenues for treatment. The need for further research to develop effective treatments for hair disorders was emphasized, with gene therapy as a potential approach.
