SCIENTISTS GENERATE NEW HAIR FOLLICLES

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Scientists have discovered how to generate new hair follicles in adult mammals. The breakthrough could eventually lead not only to a cure for baldness, but also to improved treatment of wounds and skin diseases.

George Cotsarelis and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania describe in today's issue of Nature how they re-awakened follicle-forming genes in mice, previously thought to operate only in the developing embryo. Current treatments for baldness attempt to stimulate hair growth from existing follicles rather than generating new ones.





科学家们发现了如何在成年哺乳动物身上生成新毛囊的方法。这一突破性研究成果最终不仅可用于治疗秃顶，也能改进医治伤疤和皮肤病的治疗。

宾夕法尼亚大学(University of Pennsylvania)的乔治•科特萨雷利斯(George Cotsarelis)和同事们在今天出版的《自然》(Nature)杂志中讲述了他们如何在鼠类身上重新唤醒毛囊形成基因的方法。过去的观点认为，这只能在胚胎发育过程中进行。目前治疗秃顶的方法，是试图刺激已有毛囊的毛发生长，而非生成新的毛囊。