突破！科學家終於發明了治療禿頭的辦法範例

There's a plethora of treatments for balding on the market. But what if you could regrow your own hair out of your own head by simply applying an ointment?
市面上治療禿頭的藥物多得數不勝數。不過說不定你現在可以通過擦一種藥膏就能夠輕鬆地讓自己的頭頂自己長出頭髮喲。
In a paper that seems (almost) straight out of the plot of The Peanut Butter Solution, South Korean scientists describe a treatment for hair loss that doesn't just prevent hair loss - it promotes the growth of new follicles in hairless mice.
南韓科學家發表了一篇研究文章，稱他們研發的藥物不僅能預防脫髮，還能讓無毛鼠身上生長出新的毛囊。這聽起來簡直和法國老電影《魔法》的劇情如出一轍！
Led by professor Choi Kang-yeol of Yonsei University, a team of researchers discovered a protein responsible for hair loss in androgenetic alopecia, also known as pattern baldness - the most common type of hair loss in both men and women.
這支研究隊伍由韓國延世大學的Choi Kang-yeol教授領隊，他們發現了激素性脫髮中起決定性作用的一種蛋白質——這種脫髮也稱爲斑禿，是男女患者身上最爲常見的脫髮類型。
"We have found a protein that controls the hair growth and developed a new substance that promotes hair regeneration by controlling the function of the protein," Kang-yeol said.
Kang-yeol教授稱，“我們發現了一種控制頭髮生長的蛋白質，並且研發出了一種物質，能夠控制這種蛋白質的作用，從而促進毛髮再生。”
"We expect that the newly developed substance will contribute to the development of a drug that not only treats hair loss but also regenerate damaged skin tissues."
“我們希望這種新研發的物質能夠幫助人們研發出新的藥物，通過這種藥物人們不僅能治療脫髮，還能讓受損的皮膚組織再生。”
The offender seems to be CXXC-type zinc finger protein 5 (CXXC5), which acts as a negative regulator on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is linked to hair regeneration and wound healing.
他們發現的這種蛋白質是cxxc型鋅指蛋白5，它會對Wnt/β環形蛋白起到抑制作用，而後者與頭髮再生和傷口癒合有密切關係。
When CXXC5 binds with a protein called the Dishevelled protein, it prevents follicle development and hair regrowth.
當cxxc型鋅指蛋白5與散亂蛋白相結合，就會抑制毛囊生長和頭髮再生。
A new biomaterial developed by the team interferes with this binding process. It's called PTD-DBM, and when applied to the bare skin of bald mice for 28 days, new follicles developed.
這支研究團隊研製出的一種新型生物製劑能阻止這一結合過程。它被稱爲PTD-DBM，研究者在禿毛鼠赤裸的皮膚上塗上這種製劑，28天后，新的毛囊生長出來了。
A 2013 paper found that, in humans, a treatment for androgenetic alopecia was significantly more effective when accompanied by microneedling - rolling very fine needles over the skin to puncture it.
2013年曾有論文指出，在人類身上激素類脫髮的治療與微針療法相結合後能起到事半功倍的效果，即用非常微小的細針在皮膚上滾動鍼灸。
It may be some time before the treatment becomes readily available, however. A 2015 study showed promise for using stem cells to promote the growth of follicles, but still seems to be some way off.
不過，要等到這一療法確實可行還需時日。一份2015年的研究肯定了用幹細胞促進幹細胞生長的可行性，但是時機尚未成熟。
New treatments often take time to develop, not least because they need to go through clinical trials to determine their safety - and, as we know, using mousemodels to study how well things might respond in humans doesn't always work.
新療法往往需要時間才能完善起來，不僅因爲他們需要通過臨牀試驗的驗證以檢驗其安全性，同時，正如我們所知道的，在小白鼠身上研究某種製劑在人類身上的反應，這種做法並不是屢試不爽。
Nevertheless, the team's research is progressing apace. They're currently testing their new substance on animals to determine whether it's toxic, before proceeding to human trials.
不過，這支研究隊伍的研究成果正在大步邁進。目前他們正在動物身上試驗他們的新制劑，想看看它是否具有毒性，最後他們會在人類身上進行試驗。