October 22, 2013
Research on a method to trigger the growth of new hair received coverage on two of last night’s national news broadcasts, in the print editions of at least two major national newspapers, and on several websites. Many sources portray the finding as a breakthrough. However, since the study was small and involved mice, researchers say additional studies will be needed before the technique can be used in humans. The CBS Evening News reported that “scientists have developed what might become a better way to transplant hair.”
On NBC Nightly News, NBC correspondent Harry Smith said that researchers found that “by clustering hair cells together in a lab and then transplanting them in human skin grafted to a mouse, hair grew.”
The Wall Street Journal (10/22, A8, Naik, Subscription Publication, 5.91M) points out that current methods for treating baldness do not stimulate the growth of new hair. Meanwhile, hair transplants simply take hair from one part of the head and put it in another place.
The New York Times (10/22, A13, Grady, Subscription Publication, 9.61M) reports that investigators “took papilla cells from seven men who were undergoing hair transplants, cultured them in hanging drops and then injected them into human skin grafted onto mice.” The investigators “made the grafts from a type of skin that is normally 100 percent hairless – foreskins from circumcised infants.” The researchers found that “new hair follicles grew in five of the seven grafts.”
On its website, NBC News (10/22, Jernigan, 6.79M) reports that “DNA analysis confirmed that the new hair follicles genetically matched the human donors.” The research was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The NPR (10/22, Doucleff, 465K) “Shots” blog points out, however, that “the hair follicles weren’t normal,” as “they were missing sebaceous glands that keep the skin moist.”
Still, according to the FOX News (10/22, Roberts, 6.72M) website, “This discovery takes a huge leap forward in the potential for developing new drugs to treat hair loss.”
Bloomberg News (10/22, Lopatto, 1.91M) reports that additional research will be required “before humans can be treated with this protocol, the researchers said.” Also covering the story are the Los Angeles Times (10/22, Morin, 3.07M) “Science Now” blog, HealthDay (10/22, Dotinga, 5K), and the CBS News (10/22, Jaslow, 3.87M) website.
(Article courtesy of American Medical Association).
