Baldness and Cancer

[ShibbOleth]

I found this report in the Health section of BBC News fascinating. The notion is that they’ve discovered substances which tell stem cells what to grow into.

Scientists have uncovered the subtle chemical signals that stimulate the production of hairs.

The discovery may help explain how diverse structures, such as teeth and lungs, are formed, and how, when things go wrong, some forms of skin cancer develop.

It may also help to explain why some people go bald.

If the stem cells grow properly, then hair is produced. If not, baldness occurs?

For the similar skin cells, proper growth is normal, but if too many “turn downward”, the skin cancer can occur.

If the stem cells remain firmly stuck to each other, they go on to form skin tissue.

But in the absence of this molecular glue, they are able to separate out and begin the process of turning into hair cells.

The researchers believe their description of the chemistry behind structural changes in a stem cell may ultimately shed light on several developmental and disease processes.

For instance, they suspect that a lack of molecular glue - and thus an inability to interact properly with other cells - may in part explain why some cells become cancerous.

So maybe all that money pumped into baldness research will actually have some important social benefits.