New research shows grey hair will soon be cured

Summary

In this insightful video, the presenter explores the science behind gray hair, debunking the myth that it's irreversible. Highlighting a study published in Nature, the video delves into melanocyte stem cells and their crucial role in hair pigmentation. The research reveals that these cells can revert from melanocytes back to stem cells, suggesting that gray hair is not a permanent condition. The presenter discusses the potential for future treatments that could reactivate these cells, offering hope for a cure to gray hair and the possibility of it becoming a reversible phenomenon.

Takeaways

• 🧑‍🦳 Gray hair is a common concern, but it is not as impactful as hair loss in terms of appearance.
• 🔬 The traditional theory suggests that gray hair results from melanocyte cells wearing out and no longer producing melanin.
• 📰 A recent study published in Nature has sparked interest in the possibility of reversing gray hair.
• 🧬 Melanocyte stem cells are unspecialized cells that can differentiate into melanocytes, responsible for hair color.
• 🐭 The study used mice with an altered genome to track melanocyte stem cells during the hair growth cycle.
• 🌐 Melanocyte stem cells were found to migrate and change shape during the hair cycle, with the ability to revert to stem cells from melanocytes.
• 🔄 The Wnt signaling pathway was identified as a key regulator of melanocyte stem cell behavior.
• 🚫 The aging process can cause melanocyte stem cells to get 'stuck' in the hair bulge area, leading to gray hair.
• 💡 The discovery suggests that gray hair is not due to a loss of stem cell function but rather a problem with cell mobility.
• 🛠️ Basic scientific research like this is crucial for understanding the mechanisms behind gray hair before a cure can be developed.
• 🌟 The study's findings are promising, indicating that gray hair could potentially be reversed with the right intervention.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the content on the channel mentioned in the script?

The primary focus of the content on the channel is hair loss, but it also addresses other hair-related concerns such as stopping gray hair.

Why is the concern of stopping gray hair considered less important than stopping hair loss according to the script?

Stopping gray hair is considered less important than stopping hair loss because gray hair just makes one look older and doesn't dramatically change one's appearance as hair loss does.

What is the scientific basis for the potential breakthrough in treating gray hair discussed in the script?

The scientific basis for the potential breakthrough in treating gray hair is a study published in the journal Nature, which suggests that gray hair might be reversible due to the behavior of melanocyte stem cells.

What role do melanocyte stem cells play in the hair growth cycle?

Melanocyte stem cells differentiate into melanocytes that produce melanin, giving hair its color. They are also involved in the hair growth cycle by moving between the hair germ area and the bulge and outer root sheath of the hair follicle.

What is unique about melanocyte stem cells compared to other stem cells in the body?

Melanocyte stem cells are unique because they can reverse the process of differentiation, meaning they can change from a stem cell to a melanocyte and then back to a stem cell again.

What is the role of the Wnt pathway in the life cycle of melanocyte stem cells?

The Wnt pathway is crucial in regulating the movement and differentiation of melanocyte stem cells. It activates in the hair germ region, stimulating hair growth and melanocyte stem cell differentiation, and is suppressed in areas where the stem cells revert back to their stem cell state.

What does the research suggest is the reason for gray hair development?

The research suggests that gray hair development is due to melanocyte stem cells getting stuck in the hair bulge area and not returning to the hair germ area, where they need to be to differentiate into melanocytes and produce pigment.

What did the investigators do to artificially induce aging of hair follicles in the mice used in the study?

The investigators artificially induced aging of hair follicles by plucking out hair prematurely, causing new hair cycles to begin repeatedly.

Outlines

00:00

🧬 The Science of Gray Hair and a Potential Breakthrough

The script discusses the common concern of gray hair and its relation to hair loss. It introduces the topic with a light-hearted approach, mentioning the Hair Cafe Institute of hair loss research. The main focus is on a study published in Nature that suggests gray hair might be reversible. The script delves into the science behind hair color, explaining the role of melanin and melanocyte stem cells. It describes how these cells are typically thought to wear out over time, leading to gray hair. The new research challenges this theory, suggesting that melanocyte stem cells may not be the issue but rather their movement and reactivation within the hair follicle cycle.

05:01

🔬 Melanocyte Stem Cells' Movement and Differentiation

This paragraph continues the exploration of the melanocyte stem cells and their behavior during the hair cycle. It details the study's findings on the cells' migration from the hair germ area to the bulge area and back, and their ability to differentiate into melanocytes and revert back to stem cells. The role of the Wnt signaling pathway in regulating this process is highlighted, along with its suppression in certain areas of the hair follicle. The paragraph also discusses the consequences of melanocyte stem cells becoming stuck in the bulge area due to repeated hair cycles, leading to gray hair formation.

10:01

💡 Understanding the Cause of Gray Hair and the Path to a Cure

The final paragraph summarizes the implications of the study's findings, emphasizing that the cause of gray hair is not a loss of stem cell function but rather a problem with their mobility and reactivation. It suggests that by understanding the mechanisms behind gray hair, it may be possible to develop treatments that enhance stem cell motility or remove age-related impediments within the hair follicle. The script ends on an optimistic note, speculating that a cure for gray hair could be on the horizon, with the potential for reversal even in those who have been gray for many years.

Keywords

💡Hair Loss

Hair loss refers to the falling out of hair from the scalp, which is a common concern for many people. In the video's context, it is the primary focus of the channel, with the second biggest concern being gray hair. The script discusses hair loss in relation to the importance of addressing hair-related issues and the potential for scientific breakthroughs in treating it.

💡Gray Hair

Gray hair is hair that has turned gray or white due to the reduction of melanin, the pigment responsible for hair color. The script explores the topic of gray hair extensively, discussing its causes, the process of hair graying, and recent scientific findings that suggest gray hair might be reversible.

💡Melanin

Melanin is a dark pigment produced by cells called melanocytes, which is responsible for the color of hair and skin. The script explains that the presence of melanin in hair gives it color, and a decrease in melanin production leads to gray or white hair.

💡Melanocyte Stem Cells

Melanocyte stem cells are unspecialized cells in the hair follicle that have the potential to become melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin. The script discusses how these stem cells are crucial for maintaining hair color and how their failure to function properly can lead to gray hair.

💡Differentiation

Differentiation in the context of stem cells refers to the process by which these cells develop into more specialized cells. The script explains that melanocyte stem cells can differentiate into melanocytes, which then produce melanin, contributing to hair color.

💡Telogen Phase

The telogen phase is the resting phase of the hair growth cycle, during which the hair follicle is inactive and hair eventually sheds. The script mentions this phase in the context of the hair growth cycle and the role of melanocyte stem cells during this period.

💡Wnt Signaling Pathway

The Wnt signaling pathway is a cell communication process that plays a role in cell fate and behavior. In the script, it is highlighted as a key regulator of hair growth and melanocyte stem cell activity, with implications for hair graying and potential treatments.

💡Reversible Differentiation

Reversible differentiation is the ability of certain cells, such as melanocyte stem cells, to change from a stem cell state to a specialized cell and then back to a stem cell. The script discusses this unique property of melanocyte stem cells and its importance in the context of hair graying.

💡Reporter Mice

Reporter mice are genetically modified organisms that produce fluorescent marker proteins, allowing researchers to visualize specific cells in living animals. The script describes how researchers used reporter mice to track melanocyte stem cells during the hair cycle.

💡Stem Cell Motility

Stem cell motility refers to the ability of stem cells to move from one location to another within the body. The script emphasizes the importance of melanocyte stem cell motility in the hair follicle for maintaining hair color and the potential role of this motility in treating gray hair.

💡Pharmaceutical Company

A pharmaceutical company is a business that focuses on the research, development, and marketing of drugs or medicinal products. The script suggests that pharmaceutical companies may play a key role in developing treatments for gray hair based on the new scientific findings discussed.

Highlights

Maintaining hair's youthful color is a pressing concern and a lucrative industry, with many scams.

New scientific data lays the groundwork for a potential breakthrough in treating gray hair.

The recent study published in Nature suggests that gray hair might be reversible.

Melanin, created by melanocytes, is responsible for the color of hair and skin.

Previous theories suggested that melanocytes wear out after a few hair cycles, leading to gray hair.

New findings show that melanocyte stem cells (MSC) play a crucial role in hair pigmentation.

MSC can differentiate into melanocytes and then revert back to stem cells, a unique characteristic.

MSC migration from the hair germ to the bulge area and back is essential for hair pigmentation.

Aging and repeated hair cycles can cause MSC to get stuck in the bulge area, leading to gray hair.

The Wnt pathway is crucial for MSC activation and migration during the hair cycle.

Artificially inducing hair cycles in mice showed that repeated cycles lead to MSC getting stuck and hair turning gray.

Understanding MSC movement and differentiation could lead to treatments for gray hair.

Future research could focus on upregulating MSC mobility genes or addressing factors in the hair follicle that slow down MSC.

Gray hair appears to be reversible by reactivating MSC and their movement back to the hair germ region.

Theoretical reversal of gray hair is possible, even for those gray for decades, by reactivating dormant MSC.

Potential breakthrough treatments for gray hair could emerge from this research, changing the future of hair pigmentation.

Transcripts

sup tombs how y'all living hope

everything is Nova and you're all having

a preem week so most of my hair related

content on this channel pertains to hair

loss but obviously there are other hair

related concerns people have besides

just stopping hair loss probably the

second biggest concern after hair loss

is how to stop gray hair now I don't

think stuffing gray hair is nearly as

important as stopping hair loss gray

hair it just makes you look older but it

doesn't dramatically change your

appearance the way hair loss does if I

were to ever go gray I'd probably just

tell people it was because of my Witcher

mutations so no big deal or maybe I

could just dye my hair if I really

wanted to nevertheless

maintaining our hair's youthful color is

a very pressing concern for many people

not to mention a very lucrative industry

with many scams so this is definitely a

subject that is worth covering it isn't

the first time I've covered this I did

another video over a year ago where I

covered the state of the art in treating

gray hair but things have changed since

then because there is new scientific

data that lays the groundwork for a

potential breakthrough in treating gray

hair so an article was published in the

science journal Nature in April of this

year that caused a lot of excitement in

the Press even the magazine Popular

Mechanics had an article on it all the

headlines imply that there was a new

discovery that showed that gray hair

might be reversible if this is true then

it is a really big deal and some people

are about to get very very rich here at

the Hair Cafe Institute of hair loss

research located at The Witcher Fortress

of care more and we like to go beyond

the headlines and figure out what the

research really shows so let's go balls

deep into this new article on gray hair

is this a real breakthrough or is this

just more broccoli well let's go ahead

and do a little background though on the

science of gray hair before we continue

the reason our hair has color is the

same reason our skin has color it's

because of melanin in the hair melanin

is a dark pigment created by the cells

called melanocytes in the past the

theory for why we develop gray hair is

that these melodocytes only last for a

few hair cycles and then they wear out

and stop producing melanin hair without

melanin is gray or even white in color

well here's the article that has upended

this Theory like most articles that

appear in the journal Nature it is a

very dense and difficult article filled

with a lot of scientific jargon however

it is not necessary to go through every

single detail of the article's

methodology to understand what these

investigators did what the investigators

were interested in primarily is what are

known as melanocyte stem cells I think

most people understand that stem cells

are unspecialized cells in the body that

are capable of forming into specialized

cells such as blood cells or muscle

cells or nerve cells or in cells stem

cells have the ability to divide an

unlimited number of times which isn't

true of other cells in the body that

have a limited ability to reproduce

themselves normally stem cells can only

do two things they can either reproduce

themselves or they can convert into more

specialized cells which is called

differentiation so the function of stem

cells is to replenish the Aging cells in

the body as you might imagine stem cells

are important for hair growth too let's

look at the end of the hair growth cycle

which is called the telogen resting

phase this is the phase where the hair

has stopped growing and the hair

follicle has shrunken and become

inactive usually within three months

this hair will shed and then a new

antigen growth phase will begin

during the telegen resting phase at the

bottom of the hair follicle there's a

small area of cells called the hair germ

this is one of the areas of the hair

follicle that Harbors the hair follicle

stem cells when the antigen phase begins

these hair follicle stem cells

differentiate into the hair follicle

cells and these hair follicle cells

produce the Keratin that causes our hair

to grow so mixed in with these hair

follicle stem cells are also melanocyte

stem cells that differentiate into

melanocytes that produce melanin that

gives our hair color but as the nature

article points out for some unknown

reason the melanocyte stem cells fail

earlier than other stem cell systems

resulting in gray hair well the

investigators in this study set out to

discover what exactly was going on with

these melanocyte stem cells they use

pretty amazing technology to track these

cells down now this is a mouse study but

this is still a pretty incredible study

nevertheless the investigators were

actually able to track what was going on

with individual blotocyte stem cells in

Living Mice during the hair cycle to do

this they were able to breed mice with

an altered genome that produce

fluorescent marker proteins that allow

them to see these stem cells in Living

Mice using 3D imaging these mice are

called reporter mice and I have to say

it's pretty miraculous that this is even

possible at all anyways the researchers

found that most of the balotocyte stem

cells were located in the hair germ area

during the telogen resting phase as you

can see in this figure here the Blue

Area shows the melanocyte stem cells

concentrated in the HG or hair germ area

of the follicle so they were able to

image the same hair follicle every one

to four days to see what was happening

to these hair bolotocyte stem cells

during the hair cycle well the first

surprising thing they found was the

melanocyte stem cells actually took off

and migrated upward during the hair

cycle they went from the hair germ area

to the area known as the Bulge area and

the outer root sheath this image here

shows this migration the orange dot or

the melanocyte stem cells that start out

at the bottom of the hair follicle they

then migrate to the top of the hair fall

follicle during the ancient growth phase

they then migrate back to the bottom of

the hair follicle in the next halogen

resting phase well even weirder during

the ancient growth phase the melanocyte

stem cells change their form most stem

cells are just oval featureless cells

melanocyte stem cells start out that way

too but during the early antigen phase

they actually change shape and grow

little tentacles called dendrites these

dendrites persist while the cells move

up to the Bulge and outer root sheath of

the hair follicle then they disappear

again so do these dendrites help the

cells move like little feet I don't know

and the investigators don't speculate

about that but it's still interesting

nevertheless the next surprise that the

investigators found was that unlike any

other known stem cells melodicide stem

cells can reverse the process of

differentiation that means that they can

change from a stem cell to a melanocyte

and then change from a melodocyte back

to a stem cell again so the life cycle

of a melanocyte stem cell is something

like this during early antigen the stem

cells are mostly located in the hair

germ area but they grow dendrites and

migrate to the Bulge and outer root

sheath of the hair follicles where they

convert to melanocytes and produce

melanin by late in the antigen phase the

melanocytes convert back to stem cells

and migrate back to the hair germ area

where they hang out during the telogen

phase then the whole process repeats

with each hair cycle the investigators

looked at what was regulating all this

and it turns out it was the wnt wind

pathway I've talked about this pathway

many times before and this is because

the trash hormone DHT down regulates the

pathway which leads to the shortening of

the ancient growth phase this is one of

the mechanisms of androgenic alopecia it

is a downstream effect of DHT which

results in the destruction of the hair

follicle as such some companies like

kintor who are most famous for

developing gt20029 in pure lutabide are

also working on treatments like

ky19382 which is a wind pathway

simulator I'll link some videos on these

treatments below if you are interested

in learning more about this specific

pathway but anyways the wind pathway is

a activated in the hair germ region at

the beginning of the antigen phase and

this stimulates hair growth but it also

stimulates the melanocyte stem cells to

migrate and differentiate into actual

pigment producing melanocytes however

once they have migrated upwards they

reach an area where the wind pathway is

suppressed this causes them to revert

back to their stem cell state in order

to complete the cycle they then need to

migrate back to the hair germ region

again so that they can differentiate

again into melanocytes during the next

hair cycle when they are stimulated by

the wind proteins well here's where

things get very interesting gyms the

investigators noticed that some of the

stem cells would get stuck in the hair

bulge area and not return to their home

base meaning the hair germ area you can

see that here where some of the orange

spots which are the melanocide stem

cells are still in the hair bulge area

during the telogen phase those stem

cells are stuck in an area with low wind

activation so they can't differentiate

into melanocytes anymore and also they

can't produce pigment anymore the

melanocyte stem cells have got to return

to the hair germ area at the bottom of

the hair follicle to be reactivated for

the next hair cycle the investigators

then did a clever thing they

artificially induced aging of the hair

follicles in these mice by plucking out

hair prematurely thus causing new hair

Cycles repeatedly what they found by

doing this is that the mice developed

gray hair but the recently developed

gray hair was that more and more of the

melanocyte stem cells were getting stuck

in the hair bulge and not returning to

the hair germ area you can see that in

this figure here at the top you see in

the SEC intelligent phase that the stem

cells have returned to the hair Germ at

the bottom of the follicle by the seven

intelligent phase the stem cells are

scattered in the Bulge area and are

stuck there none of them have gotten

back to the hair germ and so they are no

longer capable of differentiating back

into melanocytes the graph at the bottom

shows the stem cells are farther away

from the hair germ by the seven

intelligent phase and they are more

likely to be stuck in the Bulge area by

the seven intelligent phase compared

with the second intelligent vase so what

does all this mean well it means that

the reason we get gray hair is not

because melodicide stem cells lose the

ability to convert into melanocytes as

we age if anything this research shows

that melodicide stem cells are more

flexible than any other stem cells

unlike other stem cells melodocyte stem

cells can convert into melodocytes and

can also convert from melanocytes back

into stem cells again the problem is

that melanocytes have to move back and

forth from the hair germ area to the

Bulge and outer root area in order to

keep functioning unfortunately this

melanocyte stem cell movement slows down

with repeated hair Cycles which results

in an accumulation of these stem cells

in the Bold region where the wind

pathway activation is too low to

reactivate them we need to make sure the

stem cells return to the hair germ

region in order to prevent hair graying

as one of the investigators says in the

Popular Mechanics article quote it is

the loss of chameleon-like function in

melanocyte stem cells that may be

responsible for graying and loss of hair

color these findings suggest that Milan

outside stem cell motility and

reversible differentiation are key to

keeping hair healthy and colored unquote

so this isn't a cure for gray hair at

least not yet however it is basic

science like this that is important to

work out the mechanisms of gray hair

before we can find a cure now that we

know the problem is just a problem with

these cells moving around it should be

possible to see what genes are

responsible for this Mobility maybe it

would be possible to up regulate these

Mobility genes or maybe there is

something in the hair follicle itself

that is accumulating with age and

slowing down these stem cells and

keeping them from moving whatever the

case I am pleased to report that we now

know what causes gray hair and we also

know how to reverse it based on this

science at this point it is really just

a matter of which pharmaceutical company

is willing to make the investment needed

to properly develop and research a cure

for the mass Market the good news is

that it looks like this is already

happening the researchers who did the

study are already looking at developing

a cure so I think we are very close May

maybe even just a few years away from an

absolute breakthrough in treating gray

hair what is good about this gray hair

treatment is that it isn't like

androgenic alopecia where if you lose

your hair you can't really get it back

with gray hair it looks like it is

theoretically reversible even if you

have been gray for decades after all if

we can get these stem cells unstuck they

should be able to produce melanin again

in the very next hair cycle which would

mean that gray hair would disappear

forever it's just a simple matter of

getting a physiological process that

happens in our hair follicles to start

working again nothing is actually

destroyed when your hair goes gray it's

just the cells are inactive but there's

no reason they can't be reactivated

again and this research shows that it is

very much possible the old theory that

you just run out of melanin is just flat

out wrong and this new research shows

that hair grain is completely reversible

so we don't actually have any physical

products surrounding This research that

exists just yet but we didn't have

finasteride either back in the 1970s

when Julian imperato McGinley originally

conducted her research linking five AR

deficiencies to an absent sense of

androgenic alopecia this is how

treatments start through basic

scientific discoveries just like this

one so it stands to reason that it is

only a matter of time before gray hair

becomes a historical footnote and the

only people who will still have gray

hair will be people who do so by choice

and who knows maybe gray hair will even

become fashionable again because of how

rare it becomes due to it being so

treatable I mean not just me pondering

so I guess we'll see anyways I'll see

you all next time hair loss witchers God

bless