Harvard Medical School researchers reverse hair loss due to autoimmune disease alopecia areata

In a new treatment developed by Harvard Medical School, hair regrowth was observed as early as in three weeks after the initiation of treatment for hair loss due to the autoimmune disease alopecia areata.

The scientists at Harvard Medical School have developed a novel treatment to reverse hair loss caused by the autoimmune disease alopecia areata. The new treatment is done by using a microneedle patch to painlessly target affected areas of the skin.

The microneedle patch has a good chance of clinical translation as the patch has good shelf-life stability. The treatment is not ready for clinical use right now but the researchers are pursuing further testing and development.

“Our strategy tackles two major challenges in treating autoimmune skin diseases. Our patches enable local delivery of biologics, which, instead of suppressing the immune system, promote regulatory T cells in the skin. This restores immune balance and resolves the T cell attack on hair follicles, offering a potential long-term solution without compromising the immune system’s ability to defend against infections and malignancies, said co-corresponding author Natalie Artzi of the Brigham’s Engineering in Medicine Division in the Department of Medicine,” said co-corresponding author Natalie Artzi of the Brigham’s Engineering in Medicine Division in the Department of Medicine.

How researchers reversed hair loss due to Alopecia areata

When the T cells mistakenly attack follicles in the autoimmune disease - Alopecia areata, it causes hair loss in the patient. To reverse this researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MIT delivered T-cell regulators directly to sites of hair loss.

“Current immunosuppressants used to treat alopecia areata target both T cells and T-regs, failing to address the core issue and increasing the risk of disease recurrence once treatment stops. By suppressing the entire immune system, they leave patients vulnerable to infections,” reads the study.

Co-corresponding author Natalie Artzi of Brigham’s Engineering in Medicine Division in the Department of Medicine said, “Our strategy tackles two major challenges in treating autoimmune skin diseases. Our patches enable local delivery of biologics, which, instead of suppressing the immune system, promote regulatory T cells in the skin. This restores immune balance and resolves the T cell attack on hair follicles, offering a potential long-term solution without compromising the immune system’s ability to defend against infections and malignancies.”

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