Korean Scientists Develop Light Therapy That Cuts Hair Loss Marker By 92%

SEOUL, Feb 22: Scientists in South Korea are developing a flexible light therapy hat that could offer a new way to treat hair loss. Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology said their specially tuned near-infrared light system reduced a key ageing marker in human hair cells by nearly 92 per cent in laboratory tests.

The findings were published in Nature Communications.

The new treatment targets human dermal papilla cells, which play an important role in hair growth at the base of hair follicles. As hair follicles age, they produce higher levels of an enzyme called beta-galactosidase, a recognised biomarker linked to cell ageing and hair loss.

According to the researchers, hair cells treated with their customised near-infrared organic light-emitting diode system showed 92 per cent fewer ageing markers compared with untreated cells. The light was tuned to a wavelength of 730 to 740 nanometres, believed to be ideal for activating hair-regenerating cells.

Unlike many existing light therapy helmets that rely on lasers or LED devices, the new system uses thin and flexible OLED technology. This allows the device to fit closely to the scalp inside a soft cap, spreading light more evenly and making it more comfortable to wear.

Hair loss affects millions worldwide. In the United States alone, up to 40 per cent of people experience hereditary patterned hair loss. Current treatments include minoxidil and finasteride, but both have limitations and possible side effects.

Although the wearable hat has not yet been tested on humans, researchers say further preclinical studies are planned to confirm its safety and effectiveness.

South Korean scientists create life-saving spray to stop bleeding instantly

SEOUL, Feb 9: Imagine a life-saving spray that instantly stops severe bleeding. That’s exactly what researchers in South Korea have developed — and it could change how wounds are treated on the battlefield, and in ambulances and emergency rooms.

The next-generation hemostatic agent is being developed primarily for use by military and emergency medical professionals, though its simplicity suggests it may become more widespread in the future, allowing at-home usage.

Bleeding is the number one cause of potentially survivable deaths in the first few minutes or hours after serious injury, especially in combat or remote wilderness settings where medical evacuations can take precious hours.

In the field, paramedics could apply the spray to gunshot wounds, car-wreck injuries, falls, or other accidents to buy the transport teams enough time to get the patient to hospital facilities.

Scientists at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) invented the amazing spray-on powder that in the blink-of-an-eye transforms into a soft, flexible gel when it touches blood, according to research published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

The gel molds perfectly to the shape of the wound, sealing it shut almost immediately — even if the injury is deep, jagged or hard to reach.

Traditional bandages and gauze can struggle to stop blood flow quickly enough, particularly in chaotic or extreme conditions like battlefields, natural disasters, traffic accidents, and at-home mishaps.

The new powder works due to a clever chemical reaction. In less than a second, it becomes a strong gel that seals the wound and helps blood clot fast.

Surprisingly, all these ingredients come from nature:

Alginate, extracted from brown seaweed
Gellan gum, a natural thickener made through bacterial fermentation.
Chitosan, derived from the shells of crustaceans and insects.

Together, they form a compound called AGCL. Alginate and gellan gum create the gel, while chitosan pulls in red blood cells and platelets, making them clump together and stop the bleeding even faster.

AGCL isn’t just fast, it’s tough. The gel can absorb a whopping seven times more than its own weight in blood, making it suitable for extreme bleeding.

It also has natural antibacterial healing instead of harming tissue. Even better, it can be stored for up to two years at room temperature and still works in hot, humid or harsh environments.

Research indicates 31,000 Americans die annually from preventable bleeding, according to the CDC. Hemorrhage in combat is responsible for 91.5% of potentially survivable battlefield deaths, no matter the blood type of the patient.

“The core of modern welfare is minimizing the loss of human life,” Kyusoon Park, a KAIST scientist who took part in the spray’s development, said in the official KAIST news site. “I started the research with a sense of mission to save even one more soldier. I hope this technology will be used as a life-saving technology in both national defense and private medical fields.”

The organization hasn’t yet announced when the spray will become available.