A miracle cure for baldness could be on the way
A drug designed for osteoporosis could be the key
A drug designed for osteoporosis could be the key
A drug designed for osteoporosis could be the key
Besides perhaps comb-overs or hair plugs, until now, if you were balding you had two options; brave the big shave and mitigate things by gradually shearing hair off until you were basically bald anyway, or wear a hat every hour of the day.
However, a new research paper says that the fight against male pattern baldness is one that science reckons it can win.
The team behind a new paper published in set out to find a better treatment for male pattern baldness than those on the market currently. As the paper's abstract points out, "hair growth disorders often carry a major psychological burden."
Good news: They found a compound designed to treat osteoporosis stimulated hair growth in scalp follicle samples.
An immunosuppressant called cyclosporine A (CsA) was used to find molecular targets that promote new hair growth. It's already known to increase hair growth in humans, but it's toxic, so it probably isn't a good idea.
Then after microarray analysis, the team found a protein that inhibits hair growth, and used a compound called WAY-316606 to stop it.
When it was used on 40 scalp hair follicle samples it was found to "prolong the growth phase of the hair cycle" and "enhance human hair growth ex vivo."
"The fact this new agent, which had never even been considered in a hair loss context, promotes human hair growth is exciting because of its translational potential. It could one day make a real difference to people who suffer from hair loss," lead scientist Dr. Nathan Hawkshaw, of the University of Manchester, .
The British Association of Dermatologists , "As the researchers say, hair loss is a common disorder and it can cause considerable damage to emotional health, including loss of self-esteem and confidence.
"That said, more research will need to be done before it can be used by people with hair loss."