Posted on behalf of Laura Starr

Scientists have identified a pair of genes that together cause a seven-fold increase in the risk of male pattern baldness, a condition that affects roughly one in three men.

Two studies, both published in the current issue of Nature Genetics, examined the hereditary basis of hair loss. The teams identified the two gene variants on chromosome 20, which can be inherited from both the mother and the father. That’s a long way from a ‘cure’ for baldness, but at least it helps you to know who to blame.

In a third Nature Genetics paper, scientists report finding a group of stem cells that effectively regrow all the important cells of a hair follicle – trumpeted by The Sun as a ‘New hope for baldies’

It’s all a long way from the clinic, but as Bloomberg points out, the market for baldness therapies is huge. Last year, Americans spent more than $115 million on hair transplant therapy, while Merck’s hair-loss drug Propecia earned more than $405 million.

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