A drug originally intended as a treatment for osteoporosis is showing promise as a potential cure for male pattern
baldness.
Male pattern baldness is a truly curious affliction.
Striking some men just after puberty, with others lucky enough to never experience thinning hair, over 80% of men will suffer from MPB at some point within their lifetime. Confidence is the primary target of Alopecia (hair loss) and while many men might scoff at the idea of being concerned with their own appearance, there is a reason the hair loss treatment industry has ballooned in recent years, currently estimated at over 1.5 billion dollars annually. Men do not want to go bald. Can you blame them? Can you blame us?
As a 25 year old with a thinning crown, I have been one of the millions of consumers of both finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine). Baldness is something that comes on quick and can immediately affect your self-esteem. Like many of my peers, I went through all the weird stages that come with balding at a young age.
It all starts with:
'Oh shit, I need hats. I need a shitload of hats...'
This is typically followed by:
'Time to shave it short, time to accept my new hairless ways. People still like those gross bald cats right? It can't be so bad...'
Finally at some point, most of us arrive at:
'I can delay this, okay doctor, give me the drugs! All of the drugs!'
Truth be told, the current state of the hair loss treatment world is disappointing. Finasteride promises to delay hair loss, with some people even reporting increased hair thickness. Many though, myself included, are simply clinging to what hair we have left and delaying the inevitable by prolonging the thinning process. Minoxidil promotes new hair growth, but not your typical hair, rather thin and light colored hair that may add some thickness but is nothing like your original youthful hair follicles of yesteryear.
As you can imagine, promises of potential hair loss cures are quite exciting for me, so without intent, I often find myself diving deep into research and quickly become an expert on each and every one of these new drugs. Anything with the potential to turn my sparse head fur into a forest of thriving locks is something worth my time; any cure for myself and my hair deprived brethren is something I find vastly intriguing.
So what's the deal with this new drug?
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WAY-316606 is a drug that targets a protein called SFRP1 that halts hair growth, thus contributes to baldness. Researchers from the University of Manchester were able to derive WAY-316606 from Cyclosporine A, an immunosuppressive drug that has been in used as a treatment for the symptoms of autoimmune diseases as early as the 1980's.
Cyclosporine A was proven to reduce hair loss, but because of it's numerous side effects, wasn't a reasonable option. By isolating WAY-316606, researchers were able to replicate the effect on hair loss without the risk of the side effects associated with Cyclosporine A.
Research published in PLOS Biology were the result of a study using scalp hair follicles from 40+ male hair-transplant patients. Researchers found that WAY-316606 had a powerful effect on hair follicles and encouraged growth in the lab, but recognize that more research will need to be done before its potential use in humans.
So is this the end of Male Pattern Baldness? Not quite yet, but with more research soon to come, WAY-316606 is one to keep a close eye on. Or just pay attention to me and my posts, you can trust that my balding ass will be paying very close attention!
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