Wolf Boy

It's not easy being a preteen "wolf boy" — but scientists at Columbia University are confident they've finally found the silver bullet that can cure one. Pruthviraj Patil, 11, suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as hypertrichosis — or "werewolf syndrome" — which causes a thick coat of hair to grow over every inch of his body except his palms and feet. An episode of the TLC series "My Shocking Story" chronicled the efforts of a group of Columbia scientists, including dermatologist Angela Christiano, to develop a cure for Pruthviraj's disorder, which is estimated to afflict fewer than 50 people on the planet. Christiano and her colleagues at Columbia are using injections of testosterone to stem the growth of hair. Ironically, the breakthrough stems from Christiano's research into baldness. A dermatologist and geneticist, she's a pioneer in the field who actually discovered a gene associated with hair loss.

Pruthviraj has just started the promising treatment, and it's too early to tell its long-term effects, but the doctors are hopeful it will do the trick.