] University of Michigan graduate student David Van Mater ] had expected to see tumors growing on the shaved backs of ] a group of experimental lab mice. ] ] He had activated a cell-signaling protein called ] beta-catenin that is known to prompt development of ] several forms of cancer. But what he saw was that the ] bare skin of the mice was rapidly growing new hair -- so ] fast that the bald patches were completely filled in ] within 15 days. ] ] Writing in the May issue of the journal Genes and ] Development published today, Van Mater and supervisors at ] the university's medical school report that the one-time ] activation was sufficient to regrow missing hair. ] ] But the research, while suggesting some potential ] strategies for inducing hair growth, won't bring an end ] to comb-overs anytime soon. I can imagine the researcher's surprise - this seems a lot like planting turnips and getting roses. Ventura County Star: National |