New Hair Loss Gene Finding, APCDD1

I’ve received quite a few emails in the past day or so about the news of a hair loss gene finding that was announced. Thanks to all the readers that sent in links.

Here’s a snippet from one of the articles:

Researchers have found a gene mutation which leads to thinning hair and which can even start taking effect in childhood. The gene, APCDD1, causes hair follicles to shrink, leading to thinner hair. Now the team at Columbia university hope the findings could help discover new ways to treat the condition.

The condition leading to thinning hair is known as hereditary hypotrichosis simplex and the researchers believe they have pinpointed the gene behind it. However the scientists the cause of the more common male pattern baldness, which affects most men at some point in their lives, remains elusive.

Read the rest of this article at Telegraph UK. And here’s a couple other news links about this — CNN and WebMD.

I wasn’t involved in the research so there’s not much I can add beyond what these articles have already mentioned. It is an interesting finding and I am pleased that there is ongoing scientific research into the cause and the genes for hair loss. Unfortunately, as Dr Angela Christiano (lead author of the research) notes, “The gene we discovered for hereditary hypotrichosis does not explain the complex process of male pattern baldness.”

One thing I am particularly happy to read about is that they discuss the miniaturization of the hair follicle, which is a process that needs to be quantified as a miniaturization study when diagnosing balding patterns (as we have stressed here on this site for many years).