Have scientists just found a cure for baldness? [JAK]

Have scientists just found a cure for baldness?

Ashitha Nagesh forMetro.co.uk Sunday 25 Oct 2015 4:27 pm
Source: metro.co.uk

(Picture: Getty Images)

Scientists have developed a new drug that could be a cure for baldness.

The treatment caused bald mice to regrow their hair in just three weeks – and it’s been shown to work on human hair follicles too.

The drug inhibits the Janus Kinase (JAK) family of enzymes inside hair follicles that are suspended in a resting state – essentially ‘waking’ the hair up.

‘What we’ve found is promising, though we haven’t yet shown it’s a cure for pattern baldness’ Dr Angela Christiano from Columbia University, said.

‘More work needs to be done to test if JAK inhibitors can induce hair growth in humans using formulations specially made for the scalp.’

Dr Christiano and her team accidentally discovered the effect of JAK inhibitors on hair follicles while studying alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

She noticed the mice grew more hair when a drug they were testing was applied onto the skin, rather than when it was given systemically.

When they looked closer, the researchers realised the inhibitors awakened resting follicles out of dormancy.

(Picture: Columbia University)

Mice treated for five days with a JAK inhibitor grew new hair within just 10 days. In the same time, the control mice didn’t grow any.

‘There aren’t many compounds that can push hair follicles into their growth cycle so quickly,’ Dr Christiano added.

‘Some topical agents induce tufts of hair here and there after a few weeks, but very few compounds have this potent an effect so quickly.’

They then tested the drug on human hair follicles grown in culture and on skin grafted onto mice, and it had the same effect.

Researchers are now looking at its effect on hair follicles affected by hair loss disorders.

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