October 2023 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)”
A protein called EGFR protects hair follicle stem cells, and when it's disrupted, hair follicles can be damaged, but blocking certain pathways can restore hair growth.
miR-205, a tiny RNA, can stimulate hair growth by softening aging hair follicle stem cells in mice. Future tests aim to see if this can work in humans.
The conversation discusses the effectiveness of hair loss treatments, specifically finasteride and dutasteride. The conclusion is that dutasteride significantly reduces DHT levels and may be more effective than finasteride for long-term hair retention, with some users reporting personal experiences and side effects.
A permanent hair loss solution could involve reprogramming hair follicles to resist DHT using mRNA and siRNA. However, high costs, safety concerns, and the pharmaceutical industry's preference for ongoing treatments over one-time cures are major obstacles, with finasteride and minoxidil remaining standard treatments.
PP405 is a promising new hair loss treatment that may reactivate dormant hair follicles without side effects. It could surpass traditional treatments like minoxidil and finasteride if successful in further trials.
HairClone is developing cell replacement treatments to rejuvenate and generate hair follicles, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign. A user expressed skepticism about the need for crowdfunding.