Experimental treatment for hair loss showing promise in mice

BOSTON - An experimental treatment for hair loss has shown promise in mice.

Apparently, as we age, our hair follicles stiffen, making it more difficult to grow hair, and scientists at Northwestern University figured, if they could find a way to soften the hair follicles, maybe they would generate more hair. So they genetically manipulated existing stem cells in the hair follicles of mice to produce more RNA that relaxes the hardness of cells. The mice grew new hair within 10 days.

They now want to see if they topically apply this RNA to the skin of mice, whether they can still stimulate hair growth. If that's successful, they can begin to test it on humans.    

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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