BOSTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Problems in a gene may be a cause of inherited hair loss, a University of Massachusetts study showed.
The study doesn't lay blame for hair loss solely on the malfunctioning LIPH gene because people can lose their hair for many reasons and other genes may be involved, WebMD.com said. In this study, the LIPH gene, which makes a protein, stood out as the cause.
Evgeny Rogaev, a psychiatry professor specializing in genetics at the University of Massachusetts medical school, studied healthy Russian people from 50 unrelated families with conditions of inherited hair loss and slow-growing hair, WebMD.com said.
The researchers found participants with inherited hair loss and slow-growing hair had a glitch in their LIPH gene, WebMD.com said.
Rogaev said the LIPH protein, while not completely understood, seems to play a role in normal hair formation and growth, WebMD.com said.
Rogaev said the LIPH gene malfunction seems to impede the process and "may be a potential target" for developing new drugs to counter hair loss.
