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Stanford Study Finds Mice May Help Treat Hair Loss

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Aug 2, 2008 12:32 am US/Pacific

Stanford Study Finds Mice May Help Treat Hair Loss

STANFORD (BCN) ― Stanford University on Thursday announced the discovery of a molecule in mouse embryos that triggers hair growth and could be used to treat hair loss.

Scientists at the university's School of Medicine discovered the molecule, known as laminin-511, which signals embryonic stem cells in the skin to start growing hair.

"Now we have a signal protein that can support the microenvironment for hair development, and maybe also for hair renewal," said Jing Gao, postdoctoral scholar in epithelial biology.

Gao is the lead author of a paper to be published Friday that will describe the finding.

Laminin-511 made hair grow during an embryonic stage of development in mice that is the relative equivalent to the eighth month of a human pregnancy.

Scientists are hopeful it might work later in life as well, and would like to put the findings to work.

If using the molecule to trigger hair growth works after birth, scientists believe it would be easy to use as a drug and could be injected directly into the area where more hair is wanted.

"There are a lot of different causes of hair loss," said senior author Peter Marinkovich. "Injecting laminin-511 into the skin might, under some circumstances, promote hair growth."

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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