Scientists Announce Big Breakthrough in Race to Cure Men's Baldness

Researchers have made a big breakthrough toward curing baldness in men.

In February 2025, UCLA issued a press release that was provocatively titled, "Did UCLA Just Cure Baldness?"

"UCLA scientists have now identified a small molecule that, when prompted, can waken long-slumbering but undamaged follicles," UCLA wrote. "The researchers have dubbed the transporting molecule 'PP405' (perhaps as a tribute to another headache L.A. residents have to deal with, the 405 freeway)."

According to UCLA, "Hair loss is caused by a multitude of factors, including aging, stress, hormonal imbalances and bad genetics. Despite advances, few remedies have ever worked for more than one in three people, leading the bereft to experiment with questionable treatments or endure costly surgeries." 

The university noted, "The drugs Rogaine and Propecia have offered glimmers of hope for the follically challenged, but even bigger breakthroughs may be imminent."

But how does the new approach work?

The molecule is "isolated and applied to a protein in the follicle stem cells that keeps the cells dormant," UCLA wrote. "This inhibits the protein, and the stem cells are moved to awaken."

According to UCLA, lab work on the molecule "has been going on for almost a decade." The university says the first human trials in 2023 led to the discovery that "application of PP405 as a topical medicine onto the scalp at bedtime for a week produced promising results."

The researchers are "cautious with actual data," according to UCLA, but did label the results "statistically significant." They believe the treatment "will produce full 'terminal' hair rather than the peach fuzz variety produced by other contemporary miracle-cure lotions and potions," UCLA wrote.

However, William Lowry, Ph.D., one of the UCLA researchers, told Fox News Digital in March 2025 that "cure is a strong word," adding, "There are only two FDA-approved treatments for androgenetic alopecia (AGA, or pattern baldness): minoxidil and finasteride."

But he told Fox News Digital that those treatments have limited effectiveness.

Lowry told Fox that the new approach is exciting because scientists discovered that hair cells have "distinct metabolism from other cells in the follicle."

"We found that promoting this metabolism can accelerate stem cell activation, which makes new hairs grow. We subsequently developed drugs that can drive this effect in various models of hair loss that reflect the multifactorial drivers of androgenetic alopecia in patients," he told Fox.

"We are excited about the opportunity to bring a novel treatment option to patients with hair loss based on strong science and rigorous clinical trials," he told Fox.

When could the treatment be available? That will take some time, according to UCLA's press release.

"The scientists have co-founded a medical development company called Pelage Pharmaceuticals. Backed by Google Ventures, last year the company raised $16.4 million in funding to shepherd further trials and win official clearances," UCLA wrote.

“FDA approvals always take some time, as they should,” Lowry told UCLA. “But it will be worth waiting for.”