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Companies in Japan Looking for a Cure for Baldness
by April Maguire
Hair loss is a concern for people all around the world. In general, roughly 70% of men and 40% of women can expect to see a noticeable amount of thinning or loss at some point in their lives. For some of these people, the loss of their hair may be no big deal, but for others it can have a disastrous effect on their self-esteem and self-image.
Due to the widespread nature of the problem, scientists have been attempting to discover a cure for baldness for decades. While a surefire cure has remained elusive, other effective treatments have been developed. Currently, the most popular hair loss solutions include follicle transplantation and using topical growth stimulators. Unfortunately, these treatment options don't work for everyone, but a research organization in Japan is in the midst of developing a way to naturally regenerate patients' hair and cure baldness for everybody.
Stem Cell Regeneration
If you listen to the news, then you know that research involving stem cells is all the rage throughout the scientific community. Recently, the biggest research organization in Japan, RIKEN, teamed up with Organ Technologies Inc and Kyocera, an electronics company, in an effort to develop stem cell technology to cure baldness. Ultimately, the team's goal is to help the more than 18 million people in Japan who suffer from hair loss, as well as the tens of millions around the globe.
The team's treatment works through a process called the primordium method. The foundation of this method is stem cells. For the treatment, researchers extract a small area of skin and hair follicles from a donor site. Next, the stem cells from those follicles are harvested and multiplied, and then subsequently turned into new follicle cells. And finally, these new follicle cells are grafted onto the patient's head where balding has occurred.
A Race to the Cure
Perhaps not surprisingly, the team in Japan isn't the only group working to cure baldness through the use of stem cells. Earlier this year, scientists in California at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute announced they were pursuing a similar area of study. Similarly, RepliCel Life Sciences has partnered with a Japanese cosmetics company, Shiseido, to create their own baldness cure.
And make no mistake, the stakes for this endeavor are high. Given the proliferation of hair loss around the globe, the first organization to create a universal cure will certainly experience a financial windfall. So the race is on. And if you suffer from hair loss, keep your eyes peeled because a stem cell-related cure could be a reality within the next few years.
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about hair loss and how to treat it, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!
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