Skin and hair diseases are one of the most common conditions in humans. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have determined what loci they are from but determining what variants they are from is still being worked on. Dr. Ben Ober-Reynolds from Stanford University's study has been working on identifying the variants by comparing 3 samples; the biopsy samples from healthy control volunteers, patients with alopecia areata, and discarded surgical tissue from patients who had dermatologic surgeries. Using the data they took and integrating it into existing GWAS datasets, they can identify disease-associated cell types.
This can help identify the loci that cause these diseases and potentially find out how to treat them early.
I found this article very interesting. I personally know someone that has alopecia areata. So far there is not much of a direct treatment for it. It will be amazing if they can find a cure for skin and hair diseases in the near future.
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