Find a potential way to cure baldness

By blocking the activity of an enzyme, scientists from Columbia University (New York, USA) said they have found a promising method of treating alopecia as well as baldness. . With this approach, the mice that participated in the trial could regrow the lost hair within 10 days.

New method for treating baldness

Since last year, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered the potential of the enzyme inhibitor Janus Kinase (JAK) in hair follicles, showing that they are able to turn off signals that cause those The autoimmune attack (the immune system attacks the hair follicle by a certain cause), thereby speeding up the recovery of hair if taken with this drug.

During the research process, the group of scientists obtained another interesting result. Dr. Angela Christiano realized that when the drug is applied to the skin, not by mouth or other means, it promotes more effective hair growth. Thereby it is possible to speculate that JAK inhibitors somehow interact directly with hair follicles, in addition to preventing an autoimmune attack.

In the latest report, scientists were able to explain their previous questions, by proving that the JAK inhibitor awakened the hair follicles from a resting state. To do this, researchers have mimicked a natural process, when the hair follicle alternates between active and inactive states. Usually, the enzyme Janus Kinase will put the follicles at rest. But by inhibiting its activity, drugs that allow hair to be stuck in a sleep state can continue the cycle of movement.

Applying JAK inhibitors to bald mice, scientists found that they regrow new hair in just 10 days. After three weeks of treatment, the lab rat almost had a perfect coat. Moreover, this method has also been proven effective in producing longer hair from adult hair follicles.

"Not many compounds can push hair follicles into their growth cycle quickly," Christiano said. The two drugs used in this study were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one for the treatment of blood diseases and the other for rheumatoid arthritis.

"What we have found is obviously promising, although the drug being used has not yet been shown to be a cure for baldness , " Christiano said. "There is more work to be done in the future to see if JAK inhibitors can lead to human hair growth, especially in the scalp." Based on the results of the study, the scientists said they are conducting clinical trials for the two drugs mentioned above, in the treatment of psoriasis plaque and alopecia.