September 17, 2019
One of the many undesirable side effects that many chemotherapy patients experience is hair loss. This hair loss happens in response to taxanes, a class of cancer drugs, but new research suggests this may be preventable.
A team from the University of Manchester have found they can utilize the properties of another newer class of cancer drug, CDK4/6 inhibitors, to temporarily block cell division in the hair follicle. When laboratory samples were treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors the team observed that the hair follicles, and the stem cells from which they arise, were less vulnerable to the effects of taxanes.
It is hoped that this researcher will lead to the development of new topical medication that can be applied to the scalp to temporarily block the effects of taxanes, and protect against chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
Source: Science Daily
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