Post by joyce on Nov 6, 2007 14:38:24 GMT -6
They have cracked the genetic code of humans, cats, dogs and chimps. Now, scientists reveal today they have solved the secrets of dandruff.
A team of researchers has decoded the complete DNA of a natural fungus to blame for most cases of the flaky skin condition.
The findings could lead to more effective shampoos, lotions and medicines for a problem affecting more than half the population.
Dr Thomas Dawson, who led the five-year study, said: "We have been able to see how the fungus interacts with the skin, and that opens up all sorts of new targets for medication."
Almost all cases are linked to Malassezia globosa, a yeast that lives on human skin.
The fungus feeds off natural oils in the skin and releases a toxic by-product that can irritate the scalp, causing itchiness and clumps of dead skin that are noticeable on hair and clothes.
Medicated shampoos can help by killing off fungal infections but are not 100 per cent reliable.
Although doctors and chemists have been trying to cure dandruff for hundreds of years, it was only five years ago that researchers discovered that Malassezia globosa was the main culprit.
The genome for the dandruff yeast has just 4,285 genes written in 9million chemical 'letters' of DNA, tiny compared to that for humans.
To decode the genome, researchers grew ten litres of the yeast in a tank. They froze it in liquid nitrogen before extracting its DNA and then smashing it up into fragments.
The DNA sequences of the pieces were read and fed into a powerful computer which pieced them back together in order like a giant jigsaw.
Dandruff usually affects men more than women and tends to become a problem once sufferers have reached their 20s and 30s. It is not known why only some people are affected.
Results of the study for Proctor and Gamble are published today in the respected journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Never had any problems with dandruff.
A team of researchers has decoded the complete DNA of a natural fungus to blame for most cases of the flaky skin condition.
The findings could lead to more effective shampoos, lotions and medicines for a problem affecting more than half the population.
Dr Thomas Dawson, who led the five-year study, said: "We have been able to see how the fungus interacts with the skin, and that opens up all sorts of new targets for medication."
Almost all cases are linked to Malassezia globosa, a yeast that lives on human skin.
The fungus feeds off natural oils in the skin and releases a toxic by-product that can irritate the scalp, causing itchiness and clumps of dead skin that are noticeable on hair and clothes.
Medicated shampoos can help by killing off fungal infections but are not 100 per cent reliable.
Although doctors and chemists have been trying to cure dandruff for hundreds of years, it was only five years ago that researchers discovered that Malassezia globosa was the main culprit.
The genome for the dandruff yeast has just 4,285 genes written in 9million chemical 'letters' of DNA, tiny compared to that for humans.
To decode the genome, researchers grew ten litres of the yeast in a tank. They froze it in liquid nitrogen before extracting its DNA and then smashing it up into fragments.
The DNA sequences of the pieces were read and fed into a powerful computer which pieced them back together in order like a giant jigsaw.
Dandruff usually affects men more than women and tends to become a problem once sufferers have reached their 20s and 30s. It is not known why only some people are affected.
Results of the study for Proctor and Gamble are published today in the respected journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
**************************************************
Never had any problems with dandruff.
