A chemical found in McDonald's French fries may be the cure for baldness, according to a new study.
A stem cell research team in Japan found that a chemical added to the fries in order to prevent the cooking oil from splashing was able to produce hair follicles on mice.
The scientists say that by using dimethylpolysiloxane, they have been able to mass produce “hair follicle germs” (HFG), or cells that help grow hair follicles.
"The key for the mass production of HFGs was a choice of substrate materials for culture vessel," said Professor Junji Fukuda. "We used oxygen-permeable dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) at the bottom of culture vessel, and it worked very well."
So far, the method has only been tested on mice. The next step will be to try to technique on humans with hopes of similarly impressive results.
"This simple method is very robust and promising. We hope that this technique will improve human hair regenerative therapy to treat hair loss such as androgenic alopecia," adds Fukuda.
Mary Stringini is a Digital Reporter for ABC Action News. Follow her on Twitter @MaryWFTS.