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What If Baldness Isn’t Permanent After All? Scientists Found What Actually Stops Hair from Growing—And How to Restart It
Daily Galaxy ^ | May 11, 2025 | Staff

Posted on 05/11/2025 12:32:27 PM PDT by Red Badger

A surprising discovery in hair follicle biology has scientists rethinking everything we know about baldness. A single overlooked protein appears to control whether hair grows—or vanishes for good.

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A newly published study in Nature Communications has identified a critical protein that helps sustain hair follicle stem cells, potentially opening the door to new treatment options for baldness. The research was led by an international team from Australia, Singapore, and China, and offers new insight into the biology of hair regeneration.

A Protein With Protective Power

Hair follicles go through repeated cycles of growth, rest, and shedding. At the heart of these cycles are hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs), which are responsible for producing new hair after the old ones fall out. In the new study, scientists discovered that these stem cells require a protein known as MCL-1 to function properly. When MCL-1 was deleted in mice, HFSCs quickly underwent stress and died. Without the stem cells, the process of hair regrowth halted completely.

In experiments where MCL-1 was removed from adult mice, researchers also shaved small patches of fur to test recovery. They found that in the absence of MCL-1, the shaved patches did not regrow any hair. In contrast, mice with normal MCL-1 expression experienced routine regeneration. This points to the protein’s essential role in maintaining healthy HFSC populations in adults.

Cell Survival and Stress Signals

The team further explored what happens at the cellular level when MCL-1 is missing. They discovered that while inactive HFSCs remained intact, once these cells were activated and began dividing, they were overwhelmed by cellular stress. This triggered the P53 protein, which is known for regulating cell death. In an additional experiment, researchers removed the P53 gene along with MCL-1 and observed a restoration of hair regrowth. This finding suggests that MCL-1 and P53 interact to maintain a balance between cell survival and death within hair follicles.

The research, published on March 29, 2025, emphasizes that MCL-1 is part of the BCL-2 family, a group of proteins that determine whether a cell will live or die. According to the scientists, understanding this regulatory mechanism is essential for developing future therapies aimed at preserving HFSCs.

Hair follicles are meant to die as part of their growth cycles, but if they don’t regenerate, baldness happens. Credit: Shutterstock

Signaling Pathways and Regeneration

Alongside the MCL-1 discovery, the study also highlights the importance of the ERBB signaling pathway. This pathway, which influences various cellular processes, was shown to support the survival of HFSCs by increasing the production of MCL-1. The researchers believe this link could provide another target for therapeutic intervention.

The experiments were led by Hui San Chin and colleagues and provide strong evidence that manipulating ERBB signaling might be a viable method to enhance MCL-1 activity. Since MCL-1 cannot be delivered directly to cells in topical form, alternative strategies like boosting ERBB function are being considered. As noted in the article, MCL-1 is “a protein that acts inside the cell that makes it,” and therefore cannot easily pass through the membrane or survive digestion.

Future Directions in Alopecia Research

Alopecia affects roughly 2% of the global population at some point in their lives. While various causes exist—from autoimmune disorders to hormonal imbalances—the inability of follicles to regenerate plays a significant role in long-term hair loss. This new study proposes that safeguarding MCL-1 may be essential to maintaining regenerative capability in HFSCs.

The scientists suggest that more work is needed to explore how MCL-1 operates in humans, but the findings lay the groundwork for future research. Understanding how MCL-1 interacts with stress pathways and external signaling molecules such as ERBB may be critical in developing treatments that can prevent or reverse baldness.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine; History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: baldness; fakenews; hairgrowth; ifhfakescience
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To: wally_bert

As did Yul Brenner before him.


21 posted on 05/11/2025 12:49:22 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack
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To: Red Badger

I’ve always wondered why men go bald but grow hair everywhere else. 🤷‍♂️


22 posted on 05/11/2025 12:50:22 PM PDT by Hyman Roth
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To: Joe 6-pack; wally_bert

There’s the episode of The Untouchables in which Savalas made a guest appearance some years before he adopted the shaved head look (did it for a movie role in the mid 1960s and decided to keep it). Needless to say, he was balding at that time as well.


23 posted on 05/11/2025 12:53:27 PM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966 )
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To: OttawaFreeper

The Matt Bass Scheme?


24 posted on 05/11/2025 12:58:57 PM PDT by wally_bert (I cannot be sure for certain, but in my personal opinion I am certain that I am not sure..)
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To: Red Badger

Not in my galaxy.


25 posted on 05/11/2025 1:02:04 PM PDT by ChessExpert (The Democratic party must be destroyed.)
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To: alternatives?

I keep reading that but that has to be a more recent requirement because Im not 6 feet and once upon a time was busy enough that I occasionally went into hiding.

Assuming you are old enough to get the reference...
Most men are Daffy Duck.
A very small number are naturally muscle beach duck and another small number become muscle duck through a great deal of effort.
I was post barbell to the head muscle duck naturally.

Since the surgeries Santa stops by occasionally to make fun of me because he knows I cant catch him. Maybe I do need a taller potion, have any in the 7 foot range?


26 posted on 05/11/2025 1:05:42 PM PDT by gnarledmaw (If you dont like my sense of humor, please let me know so I can laugh at you too.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

Some guys rock it and some guys don’t have a head shape for it.


27 posted on 05/11/2025 1:10:37 PM PDT by Newbomb Turk
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To: Red Badger

Don’t wash your hands with it.


28 posted on 05/11/2025 1:10:57 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: ImJustAnotherOkie

😏.............


29 posted on 05/11/2025 1:15:24 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger

I AM NOT BALD! My barber has lost his eyesight over the years. He always takes too much off of the top of my head and it makes me LOOK bald! That is my story and I’m stickin’ to it! ;-)


30 posted on 05/11/2025 1:16:27 PM PDT by spel_grammer_an_punct_polise (Learn three chords and you, too, can be a Rock Star!)
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To: wally_bert

It was probably that one I am thinking of, as I saw a few bits of it some years back when it cropped up (miraculously) on a specialty channel up here. Looking at the IMDB, Telly did a couple of other episodes of that show. I remember also seeing him on The Fugitive as well.


31 posted on 05/11/2025 1:16:41 PM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966 )
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To: alternatives?

https://youtube.com/shorts/yOzP23PtSNE?si=r4151qIZxcnV1qR7


32 posted on 05/11/2025 1:18:14 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." The Weapons Shops of Isher)
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To: Red Badger

So you’re telling me there’s still a chance


33 posted on 05/11/2025 1:19:37 PM PDT by God luvs America
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To: Red Badger

God created a few perfect heads. The rest He had to cover with hair


34 posted on 05/11/2025 1:24:42 PM PDT by FatherofFive (we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor)
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To: Red Badger
"Understanding how MCL-1 interacts with stress pathways and external signaling molecules such as ERBB may be critical in developing treatments that can prevent or reverse baldness."

So, someday I can restore my baldness by chugging a cocktail of MCL-1 and ERBB in my smoothy and I can have Kookie lend me his comb?

35 posted on 05/11/2025 1:25:25 PM PDT by jonrick46 (Leftniks chase illusions of motherships at the end of the pier.)
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To: Red Badger; SaveFerris; Larry Lucido
Ping ping....


36 posted on 05/11/2025 1:35:43 PM PDT by gundog (The ends justify the mean tweets. )
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To: Red Badger

The first thing they need to learn is how to prevent hair follicles from migrating to the nose, for Pete’s sake. And mine.


37 posted on 05/11/2025 1:43:03 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: Hyman Roth
"I’ve always wondered why men go bald but grow hair everywhere else. 🤷‍♂️">/i>


38 posted on 05/11/2025 1:43:48 PM PDT by fidelis (Ecce Crucem Domini! Fugite partes adversae! Vicit Leo de tribu Juda, Radix David! Alleluia!)
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To: Red Badger

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer who used to be mistaken for Dr.Phil, asked how does my body know to make me bald but makes nose hairs and ear hairs grow even more as I got older?

He said to his barber: Since I only have a band of hair around the sides should you be giving me a discount for haircuts?

Barber: Actually I am giving you a discount. I’m charging you $5 for the haircut. The rest is my finder’s fee.


39 posted on 05/11/2025 1:44:02 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Telepathic Intruder

Photo....

True, commenters on SF TV show sites have said if we had hair growth research making progress in the early 2000s, how come he wouldn’t have a full head of hair by the future date in the series?


40 posted on 05/11/2025 1:46:43 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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