Researchers have found a new cure for hair loss in humans. A group of scientists at at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have managed to regenerate hair follicles in adult mice by re-awakening genes once active only in developing embryos.

Dr. George Cotsarelis and colleagues discovered that the skin has the ability to revert to a "embryonic" state as stem cells migrate to the affected area, thereby achieving a regenerative capacity not previously appreciated to occur in adults. More than this, the researchers were able to control the regenerative response by manipulating genetic pathways during this "embryonic window".  “We showed that wound healing triggered an embryonic state in the skin which made it receptive to receiving instructions from wnt proteins,” says senior author George Cotsarelis, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology. “The wnts are a network of proteins implicated in hair-follicle development.”

The hair follicles obtained during the process were normal, cycled through the normal stages of hair growth and exhibited normal architecture, including a full complement of stem cells.

The technology is icensed by Follica Inc. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a better understanding of this process could lead to novel treatments for hair loss, other skin and hair disorders, and wounds.
"The 'embryonic window' gives us the opportunity to develop disease treatments that act in entirely novel ways," said Daphne Zohar, PureTech Ventures founding managing partner and Follica CEO. "The clinical translation of this technique involves straightforward, safe dermatological procedures, and we are studying the impact of multiple drugs and drug-like compounds on this regenerative response as we advance in preclinical testing."