Updated Oct 29, IST. Harvard researchers claim that a baldness cure is on the horizon after these scientists uncovered a protein that fuels hair growth — a protein named GAS6 that stops hair fall in its tracks and helps regeneration of new hair. Hair loss or baldness fixed with a permanent cure as Harvard researchers figure out connected protein. Key Highlights Harvard researchers have carried out extensive studies on mice and uncovered the cause of baldness that can be fixed.

It seems a certain protein gets suppressed due to stress hormone and causes hair loss and follicle damage. Fixing the resupply of that protein promises a permanent solution to the problem of hair fall and not a temporary fix, say researchers.

Uttar Pradesh: Ahead of polls, Samajwadi Party clash on stage over tickets. Government is soon to release a policy document on the third dosage of a Covid vaccination. With androgenetic alopecia affecting so many people, a permanent cure would not only lessen anxiety for a significant percentage of the population, but it would also prove financially advantageous to the pharmaceutical company responsible for the discovery.

Hair is made up of the hair follicle a pocket in the skin that anchors each hair and the shaft the visible fiber above the scalp. In the hair bulb, located at the base of the follicle, cells divide and grow to produce the hair shaft, which is made from a protein called keratin. Papilla that surround the bulb contain tiny blood vessels that nourish the hair follicles and deliver hormones to regulate the growth and structure of the hair.

Hair follicles, much like all cells, have cycles. A natural part of the cycle involves shedding around 50 to hairs per day. Each follicle produces hair for 2 to 6 years and then takes a break for several months. While the hair follicle is in its rest phase, the hair falls out.

There are around , follicles on the scalp, but because each follicle rests at a different time and others produce hairs, hair loss is usually unnoticeable. More noticeable hair loss occurs when there is a disruption to the growth and shedding cycle, or if the hair follicle is obliterated and replaced with scar tissue.

Scientists now understand that pattern baldness occurs through a phenomenon known as miniaturization. DHT binds to receptors in the hair follicles and shrinks them, making them progressively smaller.

Over time, the follicles produce thinner hairs, and they grow for a shorter time than normal. Eventually, the follicle no longer produces hair, leaving the area bald. Currently, there are few available treatment options to halt or reverse miniaturization. Most hair loss treatments only manage hair loss, rather than being a permanent solution.

The only two drugs approved by the U. Minoxidil lotion is applied to the scalp and may work by increasing blood flow, and therefore nourishment, to the hair follicles. The treatment has zero effect on the hormonal process of hair loss, and its benefits are temporary.

Hair loss continues if usage is discontinued. Finasteride inhibits type II 5-alpha-reductase, which is the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into the more potent androgen DHT. DHT levels are reported to be reduced by 60 percent when the drug is taken, which prevents the susceptible follicles from being affected by the hormone and returning their normal size.

Dutasteride Avodart is used to treat prostatic enlargement. While the FDA has not approved the drug to treat hair loss, physicians sometimes prescribe dutasteride off-label for male pattern baldness. Dutasteride works similarly to finasteride, but it may be more effective. DHT is responsible for the miniaturisation of your hair follicles, meaning that they shrink and no longer produce healthy hair. This helps to revitalise damaged follicles as they receive more oxygen and nutrients from your blood, with minimal side effects.

These two treatments work to reduce or even reverse hair loss in the majority of men. Finasteride has been proven effective for 9 out of 10 men and Minoxidil for 6 out of 10 men. Scientists continue to make new discoveries about how our hair follicles and hair growth cycles work.

A permanent cure for baldness, perhaps using stem cell technology, could indeed be out there — but it seems unlikely that it will appear soon. In addition, any innovative new treatment will no doubt command a high price.

While we wait for the experts to strike gold, the availability of effective, affordable treatments like Finasteride and Minoxidil means that hair loss from male pattern baldness can still be addressed in the here and now.

Male Pattern Baldness MPB and hair loss in men is caused by a complex web of genetic, hormonal, and age and lifestyle-related factors. Because the root causes of hair loss and Male Pattern Baldness can differ from individual to individual, finding a cure for it is a very complicated process. Additionally, scientific research into cosmetic issues, such as balding and hair loss, typically receive less funding than research into medical conditions.

Genetics play a major part in whether a man will experience Male Pattern Baldness or severe hair loss, or not.

In other words, the chances are that if your dad is bald, you are going to be more susceptible to similar levels of hair loss in later life. There is currently no cure for baldness, however, many research groups and facilities around the world are reporting successes using stem cells to promote hair regrowth. Which means, if there is ever going to be a permanent cure for baldness, then stem cell research may be our best hope. The best treatment for hair loss and Male Pattern Baldness is to take a combination of oral Finasteride and topical Minoxidil.

Sivan Harel, Claire A. Higgins, Jane E. Cerise, Zhenpeng Dai, James C. Chen, Raphael Clynes and Angela M. As a result, the company embarked on a phase II trial of its lead product in female patients and published the first positive results in September In desperation, a number of companies are looking into drugs that are also in development or have been approved for other disorders to see if they work on hair loss patients.

For example, the big pharma companies Eily Lilly and Pfizer are currently neck and neck in a race to gain approval for two drugs that have shown promise in phase III trials against alopecia, an autoimmune disease that triggers severe hair loss. The big pharma company is planning to file for approval soon and aims to launch the drug by Shortly afterward, Eily Lilly and co-developer Incyte revealed that their rheumatoid arthritis medication Olumiant had been able to trigger hair regrowth in alopecia patients in two pivotal phase III trials.

These drugs are known to block the activity of cytokines — small inflammatory proteins — and therefore lower immune responses. JAK inhibitors can be used for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. While these companies are studying different avenues for existing and novel compounds, others aim to try and understand more about the molecular mechanisms that underpin human hair growth and loss. The goal is to find an entirely new class of hair drugs and many companies are investing in early-stage research.

Italian biotech Giuliani, for example, has been exploring one particularly innovative way of reviving dormant hair follicles in hair loss patients. By studying existing drugs for other conditions that cause unwanted body hair growth as a side effect over the past four years, it has identified completely new pathways for stimulating hair follicles.