June 22, 2023 – Researchers could have discovered the elusive cure for baldness in an unexpected place: the unsightly hairs that sometimes grow from moles.
Researchers found that a specific molecule in these hairy moles “causes normally dormant and tiny hair follicles to activate their stem cells for vigorous growth of long and thick hair,” said lead researcher Maksim Plikus, PhD, professor of developmental and cell biology on the University of California, Irvine, in a opinion.
The findings may lead to recent treatments for hair loss referred to as androgenetic alopecia, which researchers say affects each men and girls. In men, it's also referred to as male pattern baldness.
The international team, led by researchers from the university, analyzed hair follicle stem cells and discovered that a molecule called osteopontin accelerates hair growth. Stem cells can turn into different cell types, whether within the body or within the laboratory, and are sometimes involved in regeneration or repair processes, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic.
This latest study, published Wednesday within the journal Naturewas conducted on mice. A pharmaceutical company co-founded by Plikus said in a Press release that the hair growth technique was further tested on human hair follicles and “the researchers were able to induce new hair growth in human hair follicles in a robust preclinical model.” The company Amplifica stated within the press release that it had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the university for the brand new hair growth “inventions” described within the newly published findings.
Hair loss attributable to androgenetic alopecia occurs in two out of three men, in accordance with Cleveland ClinicAmplifica said the disease affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women within the United States.
Hair loss and thinning can begin as early because the late teens, says the Cleveland Clinic. The condition is progressive and should follow a particular pattern, comparable to the hairline forming an “M” or “U” shape in the course of the method, to total baldness on the highest of the top, leaving a skinny strip of hair on the perimeters of the top.