Balding in millions of people could be cured using a drug designed for treating patients suffering from bone marrow cancer, according to a new study.
Alopecia areata is a type of baldness that affects 6.5 million Americans, causing many people to lose their hair in uneven, patchwork-like blotches. Medical researchers knew that the loss of hair was caused by an autoimmune disease, but little was known about the underlying processes that led to the balding patterns.
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers recently discovered the specific immune cells responsible for destroying hair follicles.
Ruxolitinib, a drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of bone marrow cancer, was studied in a small group. Hair began to regrow in three of the subjects suffering from alopecia, and was completely replaced in just five months.
"We've only begun testing the drug in patients, but if the drug continues to be successful and safe, it will have a dramatic positive impact on the lives of people with this disease." Raphael Clynes, lead researcher on the study, said.
Alopecia affects men and women in equal numbers, and can lead to loss of body hair as well as from the scalp. Losing hair in patches can look disfiguring, causing significant psychological stress to those afflicted by the disease. Before this study, there were no known cures for the disease, although steroid treatments have been undertaken with varying degrees of success.
Humans lose an average of 100 hairs each day, but for most people, new hairs grow back in the place of lost ones.
Hair follicles in those suffering from alopecia are destroyed by T cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a vital role in cell-mediated immunity. This is a form of defense bodies present that does not rely on antibodies.
Specific T-cells that attack hair follicles in mice and human patients were identified. Immune pathways, essential for the process, were found which could be blocked by a new type of drug, known as JAK inhibitors. A second form of the medicine, called Tofacitinib, was also found to be effective at blocking T-cells, restoring hair growth.
Columbia University researchers developed and released a video, announcing their new discovery.
Patients - both human and rodent - retained their new hair for months after treatment ended.
"Patients with alopecia areata are suffering profoundly, and these findings mark a significant step forward for them. The team is fully committed to advancing new therapies for patients with a vast unmet need," Angela Christiano, herself a victim of the disease, told reporters.
The study "Alopecia areata is driven by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and is reversed by JAK inhibition" was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
