RIGHT ON CUEBALL: New study points to possible cure for baldness

Article content

Is the chrome dome on its way out? A new study suggests that just might be a possibility.

Researchers from the University of Manchester have discovered a “biological mechanism” that causes hair to thin, the New York Post reported.

The research team hopes the discovery might lead to a cure for baldness.

The British team found the link while testing to see if a drug effectively boosted hair follicles in the human scalp.

Over-activating a mechanism called integrated stress response (ISR) had a negative impact on hair growth, researchers found. That response signals that cells can pause activity when they experience stressful conditions, becoming partially dormant to mitigate the strain.

Follicle cells become stressed as they age, which slows down growth. However, an overactivated IRS can cause cell death, stopping rather than slowing hair growth.

Finding a way to stop the overactivation of the ISR might provide a path to preventing hair loss, the researchers said.

“We’re incredibly hopeful as we believe the activation of this pathway could play an important biological role in restricting hair growth in people with hair loss conditions, meaning that targeting it could lead to new treatments,” said Dr. Talveen Purba, senior author of the study.

Purba and the Manchester team are studying ISR activity in people with hair loss to better understand its influence on follicles.

“When we look at hair follicles under the microscope, it’s striking how consistent the response is between hair follicles from different people,” said Derek Pye, chief technician of the research group and co-author of the study.

Developing a drug that is capable of preventing hair loss is the ultimate aim.

While no drugs known to influence ISR are currently available, Purba said there are some under investigation in other contexts.

A team of Japanese researchers in 2022 successfully grew mature hair follicles in a lab, which pointed to another potential advancement.

Roughly 85% of men are affected by hair loss by the time they reach middle age. Comparatively, by age 70, about half of all women suffer from it.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to Healthing.ca – a member of the Postmedia Network.