● Landmark study from Indian and U.S. researchers identifies dormant signals, not dead follicles, as the true cause of hair loss
● Co-authored by Dr. Debraj Shome and Dr. Rinky Kapoor, clinician scientists, along with Dr. Depti Bellani, Dr. Raji Patil, Dr. Ashwin Prabhughate & Dr. Riya Shahare from the QR678®research team, and international collaborator Dr. Michael Gold (USA), the study represents a multidisciplinary, global effort to decode the regenerative biology of hair loss.
In a significant leap for regenerative dermatology and molecular medicine, a collaborative team of Indian and U.S. researchers has mapped the complete signalling network that governs human hair follicle regeneration—positioning hair loss as a reversible breakdown in cellular communication rather than a permanent structural loss. Published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy, the review reframes androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common form of hair loss, through the lens of regenerative failure—a mechanistic shift akin to how oncology redefined cancer as a molecular signalling disorder decades ago.
This discovery is particularly timely: global interest is rising in cell-based and signalling therapies as alternatives to surgical and pharmacological solutions, and the $4B global hair loss market is overdue for disruption by disease-modifying innovations.
The paper integrates insights from stem cell biology, gene regulation, and tissue engineering to identify five central pathways that control the cyclical transition of hair follicles through growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and rest (telogen): Wnt/β-catenin, Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP), Notch, and AKT/MAPK.
The QR678® research platform is actively engaged in pathway-specific innovation across Wnt/β-catenin, BMP, Notch, Shh, and AKT/MAPK—developing a new class of regenerative products tailored to modulate these circuits precisely.
The review highlights how AGA is driven by androgen-induced suppression of Wnt signalling and overactivation of BMP—both of which are druggable, making them key translational targets for therapeutic development. The crosstalk between Wnt-BMP and Shh-Notch signalling emerges as central to follicular homeostasis.
By positioning Wnt and BMP pathways as precision drug targets—much like MAPK and PI3K in oncology—this study opens a new class of regenerative dermatological therapeutics.
The authors outline multiple emerging strategies to correct these molecular imbalances:
● Wnt activators (e.g., CHIR99021, valproic acid)
● BMP inhibitors (e.g., Noggin mimetics, Gremlin analogs)
● Shh pathway agonists
● Gene-editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9
● Stem cell–biomaterial scaffolds for niche restoration
These strategies are in various stages of translational development. Select compounds from the QR678® portfolio have shown strong preclinical results in human models and ex vivo follicular systems, with early-phase human studies anticipated in the next development cycle—reflecting the platform’s growing pipeline maturity.
Dr. Michael Gold, U.S.-based dermatologist and founder of Gold Skin Care Center, added: “We now have a systems biology map of hair loss—a step that could be as consequential to dermatology as pathway targeting has been to cancer and immunotherapy. QR678®’s global work shows how translational research can generate clinically relevant innovation.”
“For decades, hair loss has been dismissed as a cosmetic concern, but science tells a very different story,” said Dr. Debraj Shome, senior author, Clinician Scientist & American Board Certified in Facial Cosmetic Surgery. “This study reframes baldness as a failure of the body’s regenerative machinery—not the destruction of follicles, but a silencing of the molecular signals that drive growth. By decoding those signals and identifying how to reignite them, we’re moving from managing symptoms to engineering a biological reset. It marks a profound shift in the way we understand—and may soon treat—hair loss at its root cause.”
“The paper positions QR678® not merely as the world’s leading hair treatment solution, but as biotech-style incubators bridging top quality laboratory research and clinical deployment,” said Dr. Depti Bellani, lead author and part of the Research team, QR678®. “Our focus has always been regenerative restoration. Now, with over 14 peer-reviewed papers and a growing translational research footprint, we are working toward targeted, signal-based therapies that may ultimately reduce or eliminate the need for transplants.”
Said Dr Michael Gold, senior author & globally acclaimed USA dermatologist, “We are not just talking theory—this paper lays the foundation for new classes of topical, injectable, and cell-based treatments. What’s more, we now have the opportunity to personalise those treatments using molecular profiles. That’s a future where hair loss therapy is tailored, targeted, and far more effective. We now have the opportunity to personalise treatments using molecular profiles. That’s a future where hair loss therapy is tailored, targeted, and far more effective. And finally, the global nature of this effort is what inspires me. When science crosses borders, like the QR678® research program, it accelerates innovation—and that’s how we serve patients best. That’s a future where hair loss therapy is tailored, targeted, and far more effective.”
With four global patents filed in the past year and five regenerative products currently in development, the QR678® platform is advancing toward a pipeline of signal-targeting therapies. Designed not merely as a stand-alone solution, QR678® is being developed as a regenerative dermatology platform—with potential applications in scarring, chemo-induced alopecia, and other complex hair and skin disorders. QR678® has also secured regulatory approvals and usage in select international markets, including countries across the Middle East and South Asia—underscoring its growing global footprint in regenerative dermatology.
Why Now? Hair loss has long been categorised as cosmetic, and thus underserved by pharmaceutical R&D. However, as regenerative medicine gains traction—and dermatology intersects with biotech—conditions once dismissed as superficial are being redefined by their underlying molecular dysfunctions. This paper offers a clear mechanistic blueprint, timed at a moment when global investors and research institutions are accelerating funding for regenerative therapeutics in dermatology.
Hair loss is no longer a cosmetic inconvenience—it is a molecular signaling failure, and science now has the tools to reverse it. This research led by the QR678® research team decodes the key pathways—Wnt, BMP, Notch, Shh, and AKT/MAPK—that govern hair regeneration, revealing precise targets for future therapeutics. By shifting from transplant-based solutions to signal-based interventions, we are entering a new era in regenerative dermatology. The QR678® translational research platform exemplifies this translational shift, combining Indian-led innovation with global clinical insight. The QR678® team believes that together, we are not just treating hair loss—we are restoring the body’s ability to regenerate, rebuild, and renew.
