Study Shows Small Molecule Hedgehog Pathway Agonist Helps Hair Growth

Curis, a therapeutic drug development company, has announced that Curis scientists have demonstrated that a small molecule drug compound can induce hair growth in a preclinical model.

The drug compound in the study is a small molecule agonist of the Hedgehog signaling pathway. In the skin, Hedgehog signaling is required for hair follicle morphogenesis during development and for regulating hair follicle growth and cycling in the adult.

In the current study, the small molecule Hedgehog agonist, when topically formulated and applied to the skin, was able to transition the hair follicles from the resting phase of the hair cycle to the growth phase, resulting in pronounced stimulation of hair growth. The authors of the study conclude that the topical application of a Hedgehog agonist may be effective in treating hair disorders, such as male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss.