Chemotherapy baldness thwarted in rats.Drug therapies target tumors by killing rapidly dividing cells. Unfortunately, these treatments also knock out cells that grow hair. Scientists studying rats have now developed a medication that wards off this side effect of cancer therapy. They smeared a compound called GW8510 on the skin of more than 100 newborn rats given chemotherapy. Although young rats given chemotherapy normally lose their hair, all the hair was preserved in roughly half the treated rats. The others retained 25 to 75 percent of their hair, says Stephen T. Davis of Glaxo Wellcome in Research Triangle Park Research Triangle Park, research, business, medical, and educational complex situated in central North Carolina. It has an area of 6,900 acres (2,795 hectares) and is 8 × 2 mi (13 × 3 km) in size. Named for the triangle formed by Duke Univ. , N.C., who presented the findings. GW8510 inhibits the enzyme cyclin-dependent kinase Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) belong to a group of protein kinases originally discovered as being involved in the regulation of the cell cycle. CDK9, however, is an exception, as it plays no role in cell cycle regulation. 2, which helps trigger cell division and attracts chemotherapy drugs. Applied in a clear gel, the drug apparently didn't enter the bloodstream blood·stream n. The flow of blood through the circulatory system of an organism. bloodstream the blood flowing through the circulatory system in the living body. and so didn't undermine the effects of chemotherapy elsewhere. Nor did it have any obvious side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. , Davis says. He envisions a shampoo shampoo a cleaning agent, usually liquid, for hair; usually consists of a detergent and perfume. Some, usually referred to as medicated shampoos, contain therapeutic substances such as parasiticides, antimicrobials, ketatolytic agents, and antiseborrheic compounds such as selenium treatment for patients if further tests prove GW8510 to be safe. |
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