Discovery of baldness gene
During a joint investigation conducted by McGill University, King’s College London and GlaxoSmithKline Inc. have identified two genetic variants in Caucasians that together represent over seven times the risk of male pattern baldness. With reference to male pattern baldness, an estimated one third of all men are affected by age 45, affect the people involved, both socially and economically. The overall figures show that medical treatment for male baldness recently surpassed $ 405 million U.S. worldwide while the cost of hair transplantation in the United States alone exceeded U.S. $ 115 million (USA) in 2007. Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of baldness in men, where hair is lost in a well-defined pattern beginning above both temples, resulting in a distinctive M shape hairline. Furthermore, it is estimated that 80% of cases are hereditary. Dr. Vincent Mooser of GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Brent Richards of McGill University Faculty of Medicine and the affiliated Jewish General Hospital (and formerly of King’s College), and Dr. Tim Spector of King’s College, together with colleagues in Iceland Switzerland and the Netherlands, conducted a genome group range of 1125 Caucasian men, scored with male pattern baldness. The study has established two unknown genetic variants on chromosome 20 that substantially increases the risk of male pattern baldness. These results have helped to confirm the 1650 results in other Caucasian men. Richards, assistant professor of genetic epidemiology, said that therefore, one can assume that the same genetic variant may be responsible for male pattern baldness but also in Caucasians. However, this reasoning can not be proven as no study has been conducted in these populations. Although the results of this search can be defined as a jump in the science, which is not to say that about treatment or cure for male pattern baldness will be soon. Richards has also expressed the view that only one case was identified and that the current treatment of male pattern baldness will require more research. However, researchers have successfully crossed the first hurdle, because treatment for a condition can be established only after the cause has been identified. Spector, of King’s College and director of the study cohort TwinsUK, said he anticipates future hair loss before their actual debut may lead to some non-conventional therapies, which would be more effective than late treatment of hair loss stage. Furthermore, Richards said investigators were aware of a genetic variant on the X chromosome that was linked to male pattern baldness for many years. He also clarified that, because of genetic variation on chromosome X has been hypothesized that baldness is inherited from the maternal side of the family. However, nothing is as straight, double wall, and noted that no one gene but several genes are responsible for male pattern baldness. Until recently, these genes have been discovered other. Therefore, if both the risk variants on chromosome 20 and the Independent note on the variant of the X chromosome is present, the risk of becoming bald increases sevenfold. Even more surprising is that 14% of the total population, one in seven men in possession of both risk variants.
