Scientists discover the age-old biological mechanism behind hair loss and it could lead to new treatments

Hair loss affects about 85 percent of men by the time they reach middle age, and there’s not much anyone can do to stop it.

But now scientists have discovered an ancient biological mechanism that triggers a stress response in the hair follicles, leading to limited hair growth.

And as a result, they say they can get one step closer to a hair loss treatment.

The team from the University of Manchester unexpectedly discovered the link in a laboratory experiment where they tested a drug to see if it strengthened hair follicles on the human scalp in a dish.

Analysis showed that when a mechanism called Integrated Stress Response (ISR) was overactivated, it had a negative effect on hair growth.

This response is important because it allows cells to slow down regular activities when stressed, rendering them partially inactive to adapt and cope with the stress.

For example, a hair follicle cell can become stressed as it ages and becomes less able to produce proteins.

However, if the ISR becomes overactive, it can cause cells to die, halting healthy hair growth.

As a result, finding a way to stop the overactivation of the ISR could lead to a treatment to prevent hair loss, the team said.

The team now wants to better understand the influence of ISR on hair follicles and study its activity in people with hair loss.

Dr. Talveen Purba, senior author of the study, said: ‘We are incredibly hopeful because we believe that activation of this pathway could play an important biological role in limiting hair growth in people with hair loss. new treatments.’

Derek Pye, lead technician of the research group and co-author of the study, added: ‘When we look at hair follicles under the microscope, it is striking how consistent the response is between hair follicles from different people.’

Although there are currently no known drugs that affect the integrated stress response, some are being investigated in other contexts, Dr. Purba said.

And while some hair loss medications already exist, many people who take them experience side effects and the rate of hair growth — if any — can vary from person to person, he added.

The vast majority of men who lose their hair do so because of male pattern baldness, which is an inherited condition.

In addition to medication to stimulate hair growth, some men opt for laser treatment to stimulate circulation in the scalp and stimulate hair follicles, while some undergo a hair transplant.

The findings have been published in the journal Plos One.