VARIOUS NATIONAL MEDIA: Hope for baldness cure as scientists trigger hair growth with chemical used in perfumes: 'A rather amazing finding'

Press/Media: Research

Description

 

A chemical designed to mimic the smell of sandalwood also has the power to stimulate hair growth in humans, according to a new study.

Period18 Sept 2018

Media contributions

2

Media contributions

  • TitleHope for baldness cure as scientists trigger hair growth with chemical used in perfumes: 'A rather amazing finding'
    Media name/outletThe Independent
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date18/09/18
    DescriptionA chemical designed to mimic the smell of sandalwood also has the power to stimulate hair growth in humans, according to a new study.

    Though the research was undertaken using scalp tissue in a laboratory, the scientists behind the discovery say they could be on the cusp of effectively treating hair loss.

    As trials are already underway to assess how this product performs in human volunteers, the team say they are “not far” from making the transition from the lab to the baldness clinic.
    URLhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/baldness-cure-hair-loss-treatment-sandalwood-perfume-sandalore-smell-a8543391.html
    PersonsRalf Paus
  • TitleThe whiff of sandalwood makes the human head sprout more hair
    Media name/outletNew Scientist
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date18/09/18
    DescriptionThere are all sorts of potential treatments for hair loss, including pills, injections, and even the suggestion of plucking the hairs that remain. Now comes a new idea: the odour of synthetic sandalwood may promote hair growth.

    The nose is the obvious place to look for the olfactory receptors that detect odours, but researchers now know that similar receptors are found in many parts of the body. This includes the skin around hair follicles, where cells produce an olfactory receptor called OR2AT4 that plays a role in various physiological responses, such as fixing a cut.

    Ralf Paus at the University of Manchester, UK, and his colleagues say there is already good evidence that forming a new hair uses a similar set of molecular tools as forming a patch of new skin after a wound. This made them wonder whether activating OR2AT4 could promote hair growth.
    URLhttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2179973-the-whiff-of-sandalwood-makes-the-human-head-sprout-more-hair/
    PersonsRalf Paus

Keywords

  • baldness
  • hairloss