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CGH is what is called a "rare disease," meaning that it affects less than 200,000 people. Currently, researchers are trying to identify the underlying gene in the disease because they believe that it could help cure hair loss and other forms of hypertrichosis. Hair growth, a complex interaction, involves a complicated process. But hypertrichosis involves any area on the body, making it hard to know if it was inherited or acquired some other way. Researchers often look to primates, a more primative and hairy version of the human, and have concluded that this gene has undergone significant modifications in its evolution into humans. The research has found that "retinoic acids and growth factors all appear to be involved in the production of hair." A lot remains to be answered though. Many molecules that contribute to hair growth haven't been found. Also, the fact that human can grow different types of hair complicates it further. Some scientists have begun to think that genes involved in CGH are not only involved in hair growth, but in other tissues and organs as well. Moving forward, scientists hope to continue their research as far as getting a better idea of the contributions to human growth. They think that eventually, if they can locate the underlying gene as well as other contributors, they will better treatments methods for CGH. |
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