Science
Cure For Baldness Found… In Mcdonald’s Fries, Scientists Report
There are a lot of reasons that cause rapid hair loss resulting in a bald patch: heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or medications are just a few of them. Pollutants in the air or high iron content in water may also be the underlying cause.
You have heard all possible cures, from hot oil spa to a healthy nutritious diet, from hair packs to avoiding styling with heat, but have you heard a lip smacking snack cure your hair woes?
The world is indeed a Pandora’s box as wonders keep happening!
Recently, scientists have conducted an experiment where they grew back hair in mice by using human stem cells. This resulted in new follicles which could grow hair. The “simple experiment” made the lab rodents little fluff balls.
Some scientists believe this technique can work on humans and it would be a revolution if it succeeds. The Japanese team became the talk of the moment when they mass produced ‘hair follicle germs’ (HFGs) in the laboratory.
The function of these cells is enabling follicle development. The amazing thing is that it has never been regenerated before.
So What Is The Secret?
The ‘McDonald’s fries’ chemical or dimethylpolysiloxane. Surprised?
The chemical was used in the culture vessel. It is used by McDonald’s for safety purposes – that is to prevent the cooking oil from foaming. It proves to be effective for the HFGs as oxygen easily passes through.
According to Professor Junji Fukuda, of Yokohama National University, “The key for the mass production of HFGs was a choice of substrate materials for the culture vessel. We used oxygen-permeable dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) at the bottom of culture vessel, and it worked very well.”
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The method created up to 5,000 HFGs that led growth of new hair after they were transplanted into the mice. The hair loss treatments in the market cost million pounds but creating hair follicles will change the game.
Professor Fukuda says baldness is a global problem, especially for ageing individuals, and leads to low self-esteem. Hair regenerative medicine is a possible cure.
The researchers have to cross the hurdle of mass production to make it an effective therapy option. The seeded cells were in a unique ‘HFG’ chip called a 300-microwell array that was injected into the mice and generated follicles and hairs on the barren body. Lustrous black hair grew on the back and the scalp where they were transplanted.
According to them, the “regenerated hair exhibited the typical hair cycle of mouse hair”. Prof Fukuda added that “this simple method is very robust and promising” and will work for human cells too.
How Does It Work?
Professor Fukuda said: “These self-sorted hair follicle germs (ssHFGs) were shown to be capable of efficient hair-follicle and shaft generation upon injection into the backs of nude mice. We demonstrated that the integrity of the oxygen supply through the bottom of the silicon chip was crucial to enabling both ssHFG formation and subsequent hair shaft generation.
This simple ssHFG preparation approach is a promising strategy for improving current hair-regenerative medicine techniques.“
“Beauty clinics currently often use hair from the occipital region [back of the head] and plant them to frontal areas with hair loss. A problem with this is that it doesn’t increase the total volume of hair..” Fukuda said.
We are waiting for his revolutionary experiment to be mass produced so that we can wave goodbye to bald patches!
Image originally inspired from Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
