科學家相信，一種可以治療脫髮的洗頭液將在兩年內問世。
Scientists have found a single enzyme has a major role to play in male-pattern baldness, as experienced by the Duke of Cambridge. Photo: REX
科學家已經發現了一種導致男性脫髮的蛋白酶，之前在劍橋公爵頭上實驗過了。
They are already talking with pharmaceutical firms about making the product, which would work by stopping the effects of a single guilty enzyme.
他們已經和製藥企業談論製作藥物的事宜，只要阻止該蛋白酶發生作用，就可治療脫髮。
US-based dermatologists announced earlier this year that they had found that an enzyme, called prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), instructed follicles to stop producing hair.
位於美國的皮膚科醫生早期宣布他們發現了該蛋白酶，叫做前列腺素D2(PGD2),它會阻止毛囊生出頭髮。
They identified it by screening 250 genes implicated in hair loss.
他們通過掃描250個跟脫髮有關的基因找到了這種酶。
George Cotsarelis, head of dermatology at Pennsylvania University, said the one responsible for levels of PGD2 played “the major role”.
領導此研究的是賓夕法尼亞大學皮膚醫學科教授喬治•柯薩萊利斯表示，影響前列腺素D2的水平的酶是造成脫髮的元兇。
He said he was now talking with several drugs firms about creating the anti-baldness product.
他目前正與幾家醫藥公司談論生產脫髮產品的事宜。
Drugs are already available that reduce PGD2 levels, as it has been implicated in asthma, holding out the hope that developing a related product for baldness could be speedy.
目前已經在治療哮喘的藥中發現降低前列腺素D2的水平的藥物，這使得科學家認為開發出治療脫髮的產品指日可待。
About four in five men will experience some degree of baldness by the age of 70. In bald patches follicles are still making hairs, but less well than before. The hairs get shorter and shorter until they are either barely visible or do not even break the skin's surface.
到了70歲，大約5個男士裡就有4個會出現不同程度的禿頭問題。脫髮處的毛囊還會長出頭髮，但是比之前要稀很多。頭髮變得越來越少，直到幾乎沒有，或者就完全沒有。
Cotsarelis and colleagues found that in 17 men with hair loss, PGD2 levels were three times higher in bald spots than in hairy areas.
柯薩萊利斯教授和他的同事研究17個脫髮的男士，發現他們頭上禿了的部分前列腺素D2的含量是有頭髮處的3倍。
When the original study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine in March, he said: “We really do think if you remove the inhibition [caused by PGD2}, you get longer hair.”
當最初的研究發表在《科學轉化醫學》雜誌上，他說：”我們真的冒出了切除抑制素，那麼就能長出頭髮“的想法。
He said the finding raised the possibility of not only stopping hair loss, but of bald men also being able to regrow full heads of hair.
他說這一發現不僅增加了治療脫髮的可能性，而且對於禿頭的男性也能重新長出濃密的頭髮。
Des Tobin, director of the centre for skin sciences at Bradford University, described the advance as “a big step forward”.
布拉德福德大學皮膚研究中心主任，Des Tobin，認為這一發現是”一個大進步“。
He said: “I can’t see why we won’t soon be able to intervene to prevent hair loss.”
他說：治療脫髮，指日可待。
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