A research team of investigators from Stanford, Columbia, and Rockefeller Universities, may have found the gene that causes hereditary hypertrichosis simplex. A dominant form of hair loss, presenting in childhood, manifests in terminal hair that is thick which is slowly replaced by more fine hair. The gene that the researchers discovered is called APCDD1 (adenomatosis polyposis down-regulated 1), and its discovery has the potential to influence future studies for hereditary hypertrichosis simplex and other conditions, such as male pattern baldness, which presents itself in a similar way. The lead researcher on the team, Angela M. Christiano, Ph.D, describes the study of genetic material from specific subjects and how the team was able to locate a mutation of the APCDD1 in a specific area of chromosome 18, and how that abnormality possibly causes hereditary hypertrichosis simplex, and exciting discoveries about possible treatment.
Key Points:
- 1Researchers discovered a gene involved in progressive hair loss.
- 2The gene had previously been associated with other forms of hair loss.
- 3The gene inhibits a signal pathway in a uniquely non-hormonal way potentially enabling more people suffering from hair loss to be treated.
A research team that includes investigators from Colombia, Rockefeller and Stanford Universities, believe they have found a gene that impacts hair growth.
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