New Biotechnological Approaches to Cure Baldness




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Biotechnology is a great benefactor - it brought to the worlds wonderful new drugs, oil-eating bacteria, genetically modified plants, and other scientific wonders. But what about treating hair loss?

Although not a life-threatening disorder, pathological hair loss nevertheless is observed in more than half of the world’s population aged 50 and older. In many people, especially genetically-predisposal men, hair thinning can start as early as in their 20th. It is estimated that, in the US alone, people spend over a billion dollars annually on products that promise to combat baldness and revive hair growth!

Hair loss can be a serious cosmetic problem and even an identity issue for both men and women of any age. Our attachment to thick, healthy hair, as well as our willingness to pay big bucks for effective hair treatments, helps speed biotechnological research on combating thinning locks and baldness. Even though health benefits do not cover hair transplants and other pro-hair treatments, many of us will gladly pay out of our own pockets for a chance to have nice, thick locks again.

This explains why some researchers are currently turning their attention to the field of hair loss treatments. Determined academics investigate the roots of balding and possible solutions through genome research, gene manipulations, stem cell studies, robotics, and hair cloning techniques.

The phenomenon of human hair loss still remains a scientific mystery. Only humans and monkeys tend to lose their scalp hair as they age.

Some people experience hair thinning due to skin diseases, infections, fungi, autoimmune disorders, or severe stress. Treatments for these types of balding are usually geared to eliminate the underlying condition.

The most frequently observed kind of hair loss, however, has a genetic cause. A male hormone, DHT, is responsible for male-pattern baldness, a condition when hair follicles simply die out and do not regenerate. As a result, bald spots appear on the scalp, and the hairline gradually recedes. Similar interplay of hereditary causes and the involvement of male hormones make middle-aged women lose their hair during or after the menopause.

Currently, there are two types of approved pharmaceutical medications to treat hair loss - Rogaine (Minoxidil) and Propecia, which are patented by Merck and Johnson & Johnson.

Propecia works to combat male-pattern baldness by inhibiting the production of certain male hormones in men. Rogaine, a topical liquid, is recommended as a hair loss treatment for both men and women. Both medications stimulate hair regrowth and slow the progression of baldness, although results can vary. Researchers for sure can invent something more effective.

In fact, an invention of a 100 percent efficient hair-growth medication can become a multibillion-dollar venture, and the biotech business is well aware of that.

New York-based Pfizer Inc. has recently invested into the development of a new drug to treat hair loss. This experimental medication will mimic the effect of hair-stimulating hormones.

Another biotech company, San Diego-based AndroScience Corp., is developing a drug that will keep hair follicles of balding people alive. This medication will de-sensitize the DHT cell receptors.

Hair transplantation is an alternative type of hair loss therapy. Restoration Robotics is currently working on inventing high-tech equipment to help surgeons perform cheaper and faster hair transplants.

A number of small companies are developing new types of synthetic hair follicles that can be transplanted into the scalp of bald people to replace inactive follicles.

An interesting pilot study is being conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, where dermatology professor Dr. George Cotsarelis has discovered that new hair follicles are produced in mice recovering from wounds.

Boston-based Follica Inc. is trying to incorporate the techniques of microdermabrasion and mild scalp injuries to encourage the regeneration of hair follicles.

The Aderans Research Institute, Atlanta, is exploring the possibilities of hair cloning.  They are working on the method of growing follicle-forming scalp cells in culture, so that they can be multiplied and transplanted back into the scalp as “hair seeds”.

These new research give us a hope that an effective hair loss solution will be invented by biotech companies already in the near future.

Connie Fraser

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Posted on March 8, 2008 
Filed Under Hair Loss News and Statistics, Hair Loss Treatments

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