UCLA’s Scientific Breakthrough Might Be The Cure To Hairloss

Humans have been fighting baldness for millennia, and history is full of questionable remedies. Ancient Egyptians smeared a mix of dates, dog’s paw and donkey’s hoof on their scalps. Celts sealed mice in jars. Native Americans turned to yucca juice. None of it worked. Fast forward a few thousand years and modern science may finally have cracked it.

A team at UCLA has identified a small molecule that can reawaken dormant hair follicles. The molecule, nicknamed PP405 (a cheeky nod to LA’s dreaded 405 freeway), could pave the way for a genuine cure for baldness.

MORE: I Tried the World’s First AI-yurvedic Skin Scan: Here’s What Happened

DISCOVER: This female-founded start up has developed an AI that can spot breast cancer

Hair loss has always been notoriously difficult to treat. Rogaine and Propecia gave some people results, but success rates hovered around one in three. Surgeries are expensive, and miracle lotions often result in little more than peach fuzz. What makes PP405 different is that it seems capable of restoring full “terminal” hair.

In simple terms, the PP405 molecule targets a protein in follicle stem cells that keeps them inactive. By inhibiting the protein, it wakes the cells back up. Lab work has been ongoing for nearly a decade, and in 2023 the first human trials began. Participants applied PP405 topically to their scalp at bedtime for a week, with researchers reporting “statistically significant” results.

MORE: Teens are using social media to diagnose themselves with mental health issues

DISCOVER: Researchers are training AI to detect breast cancer

Image @mano586478 via Pinterest

The scientists behind the discovery are William Lowry, professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology; Heather Christofk, professor of biological chemistry; and Michael Jung, distinguished professor of chemistry. They are optimistic about the treatment’s potential to reverse pattern hair loss, which affects more than half of men and a quarter of women by age 50.

“At some point, most men and women suffer from thinning hair, or lose it after chemotherapy, infections or other stressors, and it affects them psychologically,” Lowry said. Though currently blessed with a full head of hair, he admitted it probably won’t last forever.

MORE: 30 year olds looking younger than ever: Here’s why

DISCOVER: 60% of Brits find influencers luxurious lifestyles ‘infuriating’

Image @chanellecwest via Pinterest

“No such product will work for everyone,” he added. “But our first human trials in Orange County have been very encouraging, and there are larger trials with more people to follow.”

Initially, the team worried PP405 might destroy follicles entirely. “But we were happy to be wrong about that,” Lowry said. Instead, the molecule seems to safely coax follicles back to life.

The breakthrough has already spun off into a start-up, Pelage Pharmaceuticals, co-founded by the scientists and backed by Google Ventures. The company raised $16.4 million last year to fund larger trials and secure approvals.

“FDA approvals always take some time, as they should,” Lowry said. “But it will be worth waiting for.”