Protein identified that could one day help to treat alopecia

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-03-26 10:49

Australia; International; VIC

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New research co-led by WEHI and Duke-NUS Medical School has uncovered an essential role for the protein MCL-1 in tissue regeneration, which could offer insights that help develop new treatments for hair loss and alopecia. Around 70-90% of our scalp hairs stay in the growth phase – but certain conditions can disrupt this, leading to hair loss. MCL-1, a protein that plays an important role in preventing programmed cell death (apoptosis), is also essential for adult hair regeneration. Understanding the molecular regulation that controls hair follicle growth could lead to the development of novel strategies for treating alopecia as well as hair loss prevention.