Alopecia refers to hair loss and can affect the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and other areas of the body. There are different types of alopecia including androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, anagen effluvium, and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). Each form of disease refers to where and how hair is lost. This type of categorization helps physicians best diagnose and treat patients. Frontal fibrosing alopecia was first recognized in the early 1990s and still puzzles scientists and physicians. It is characterized by progressive loss with hair follicles becoming inflamed and destroyed. Eyebrow thinning is also a common symptom along with skin redness and scaling, and wrinkling.

Unfortunately, the cause of FFA is unknown and is a type of scarring hair loss, which means that the hair cannot grow back. This particularly distressing condition is thought to be the result of an autoimmune disorder. Many scientists believe FFA is caused by hormonal imbalances or genetic predispositions. Scientists are currently trying to find ways to cure or permanently treat FFA. Treatment options to date include topical corticosteroids, oral medication, light therapy, and hair transplantation. However, all of these treatments work to relieve symptoms, delay hair loss, or replace hair loss. Since FFA is a chronic condition, symptoms can progress over time and with early intervention, patients can significantly delay hair loss. The lack of sufficient treatment is still a concern, and many researchers are investigating how to overcome this disease and avoid hair loss.

A recent paper in JAMA Dermatology, by Dr. Christos Tziotzios and others, reported a change in two areas of the human genome that can influence alopecia risk. This is a major advance in the field of alopecia and can be used to enhance treatment. Tziotzios is a Consultant Dermatologist and Senior Lecturer at St. John’s Institute of Dermatology in the United Kingdom (UK). He specializes in general dermatology and hair and scalp disorders including FFA in both biological males and females.

Science and Technology: Gene Therapy apparently Cure Blindness in Children.

S eye, very early in life, to treat a severe form of the condition.‘.

An experimental trial of gene therapy has helped four toddlers — born with one of the most severe forms of childhood blindness — gain “life-changing improvements” to their sight, according to doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

The rare genetic condition means the babies’ vision deteriorated very rapidly from birth.

Before the therapy, they were registered legally blind and only just able to distinguish between dark and light. After the infusion, all parents reported improvements — with some of their young children now able to begin to draw and write.

Unraveling the Genetic Risk of Cancer

Thousands of tiny changes in the DNA sequence of the human genome have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. However, until now, it has been unclear which of these changes directly contribute to the uncontrolled cell growth that defines the disease and which are simply coincidences or minor players.

Stanford researchers conducted the first large-scale analysis of these inherited genetic changes, known as single nucleotide variants. Their study identified fewer than 400 variants that play a key role in triggering and sustaining cancer growth. These variants influence several critical biological pathways, including those that control DNA repair, energy production, and how cells interact with their microenvironment.

A cancer therapy that uses genetically engineered immune cells, called CAR T-cells, has kept a person free of a potentially fatal nerve tumour for a record-breaking 18 years.⁠ ⁠ “This is, to my knowledge, the longest-lasting complete remission in a patient who received CAR T-cell therapy,” says Karin Straathof at University College London, who wasn’t involved in the treatment. “This patient is cured,” she says.⁠ ⁠ Doctors use CAR T-cell therapy to treat some kinds of blood cancer, like leukaemia. To do this, they collect a sample of T-cells, which form part of the immune system, from a patient’s blood and genetically engineer them to target and kill cancer cells. They then infuse the modified cells back into the body. In 2022, a follow-up study found that this approach had put two people with leukaemia into remission for around 11 years, a record at the time.⁠ ⁠