Mumbai: A team of scientists by mapping the complete molecular network of human hair, have identified several treatment procedures that can potentially eliminate the need for surgery or transplants for restoring hair growth.
According to a recent study published in “Stem Cell Research & Therapy” integrating stem cell biology, gene therapy, and molecular signalling can potentially help to treat hair loss conditions like androgenetic alopecia (AGA) without the need of a transplant.
The study co-authored by a multidisciplinary team from US and India, involving researchers of QR678, a hair regrowth formulation and The Esthetic Clinics (TEC), suggest androgenetic alopecia (AGA)—the most common form of hair loss—not as an irreversible condition, but as a breakdown in regenerative signalling that can potentially be reversed.”
Under the study, the researchers analysed five key molecular pathways—Wnt/β-catenin, Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP), Notch, and AKT/MAPK—that collectively manage the hair follicle lifecycle.
During their analysis, researchers found that in conditions like AGA, the communication between these aforementioned pathways breaks down, particularly with Wnt suppression and BMP overactivation, causing follicles to fall into dormancy.
To correct such breakdowns the study outlined that gene-editing tools like CRISPR and stem cell therapies can help to correct misfiring signals, rebuild a supportive microenvironment.
As per the researchers some of these treatments have already shown success in lab-grown tissue and animal models, and early clinical trials are expected to begin within the next two years.
“By mapping out the molecular misfires behind hair follicle dormancy, we now have a clearer pathway to develop therapies that don’t just slow hair loss—but potentially reverse it by reawakening the body’s own regenerative systems,” said Dr Michael Gold, dermatologist and founder of Gold Skin Care Center, USA.
“Hair follicles don’t disappear; they go dormant due to disrupted cellular signals. By identifying how these signals fail—and how they can be restored—we move closer to resetting the system at a molecular level. It’s a fundamental shift in how hair loss can be understood, and ultimately, reversed,” Dr Debraj Shome, senior author and Director at TEC, added.
Scientists involved in the study suggest the global hair loss treatment market, valued around $4 billion (₹34,000 crore) available solutions includes only external therapies–-drugs, and treatment procedures—surgery, transplants.
Whereas, the study’s findings signal a space for exploring gene- and cell-based molecular therapies—a therapeutic domain that follows a completely different approach with differentiated targeting and treatment mechanisms.
