A stem cell–based therapy has succeeded in regenerating hair in mice with induced androgenetic alopecia. This has been achieved by a team of Spanish researchers led by Eduardo López Bran, Head of Dermatology at Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid.
López Bran and his team extracted stem cells from adipose tissue (body fat), cultured them, and injected them into 200 mice in areas where the hair follicle had deteriorated.
They added adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule that acts as the cellular energy currency in the human body.
The results, recently published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy, are spectacular. All male mice recovered at least a large part of the hair they had lost, and in half of them the recovery was complete. Ninety percent of the female mice achieved a similar recovery.
The dermatologist has witnessed firsthand every major breakthrough in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia, which affects 80% of men and nearly 40% of women (in women, hair loss is more often thinning rather than complete loss).
In the 1980s and 1990s, he participated in the clinical trials that led to the approval of minoxidil and finasteride, the two mainstays of pharmacological treatment. From Clínica Imema, which he founded and currently directs, he was also a pioneer of hair transplantation in Spain.
He is now awaiting the start of human clinical trials for this therapy. If successful, it would surpass all previous treatments and could relegate baldness to the history books of medicine.
Why does Spain always rank first among countries with the highest number of bald people?
That is a very good question. As with many medical conditions, incidence varies among races. In this case, androgenetic alopecia is more prevalent in the Caucasian race, to which Spaniards and Europeans belong.
That is why hair loss is more common in our environment, and why developing new treatments that offer an effective and safe solution is so important.
How has Spaniards’ hair changed over the more than 30 years you have been treating it?
Since I began researching therapies for alopecia—research that led to the commercialization of the first drug, minoxidil—Spaniards have become more aware of the need for proper treatment and an accurate diagnosis.
Since 1987, when minoxidil was commercialized; 1997, when oral finasteride was approved; and toward the end of the previous decade, topical finasteride, we have had therapeutic options which, when properly managed, prescribed, and monitored by dermatologists, can improve hair quality and halt the progression of androgenetic alopecia.
Do you notice this when you walk down the street?
I notice a huge increase in consultations seeking a solution—an extremely significant rise in demand, especially among young people who, at the first signs of baldness, want to stop its progression or even reverse those early symptoms.
We are seeing a spectacular increase in demand for hair transplant procedures among young people aged 25 to 35. Faced with early recession or thinning, they ask us to restore the hairline. This has grown dramatically.
Your research achieved hair regrowth in 100% of male mice using stem cell injections. Did you expect such a resounding success?
This comes from many years of research into drugs for treating baldness. Due to my age, I am probably the only dermatologist who has worked on both minoxidil and finasteride research and coordinated their trials in Spain as part of global studies.
In my private practice, I had been performing transplants since 1989, and my main concern was how to improve the survival of follicular units.
When we began using this energizing molecule and saw that repopulation improved, I returned to the hospital and proposed to the clean room—our cell therapy unit—that we launch this research using a combined treatment of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and an energizing molecule (ATP, adenosine triphosphate).
It was very encouraging to see that our work, which initially had no etiopathogenic support and was merely a hypothesis, was on the right track. When we reached the final results and they were so successful (which, I must stress, may not necessarily be reproduced in humans), it brought us great joy.
We are very satisfied. This is a first step: we want to be optimistic but also cautious—there is still a long way to go.
Is this the first time stem cells have been used for hair regeneration?
We are in the era of advanced therapies. There are other types of stem cell–based therapies (follicular-derived, bone marrow–derived, umbilical cord–derived, etc.) at various stages of research.
However, to our knowledge, there is no therapy worldwide using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and we are convinced that none combine them with this energizing molecule—we have not found any reference to it in registries or standard bibliographic sources.
When do you plan to start clinical trials in humans?
In 2026–2027. We have requested scientific advice from the AEMPS (Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices), and once we receive their response, we will move forward. That is our estimated timeline.
What would the therapy involve in humans?
In principle, it would be administered as an injection into the patient’s scalp. We believe a single dose may be sufficient, but this will need to be confirmed through clinical trials.
What will this therapy offer compared to current treatments?
Something very important: we hope it will eliminate the need for chronic treatment. Current therapies require continuous use to maintain results, meaning patients must keep taking or applying medication indefinitely.
We trust that this therapy will not require such chronicity and that a single administration may be enough to restore lost hair.
Will minoxidil and finasteride then become obsolete?
That is our hope. Minoxidil deserves recognition for nearly 40 years of helping patients recover hair. Finasteride introduced a new therapeutic approach to alopecia, both orally and topically, and their combination has helped many patients maintain their hair.
However, we believe that a condition affecting so many men and women worldwide—especially in our country—requires new therapeutic approaches. This would be the first advanced therapy using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and we could have it available to patients in 4 to 5 years, if everything goes well and human results are effective and safe.
Recently there has been news about side effects of minoxidil and finasteride. Have we trivialized their use?
Hair problems require an accurate diagnosis and proper prescription, with full information provided to patients and professional monitoring by qualified specialists.
This way, we can ensure that the appropriate drugs are prescribed in each case, personalizing treatment based on available information so that patients are also committed to following the therapy correctly.
Many cosmetic treatments claim to be based on stem cells. How do we distinguish pseudoscience from evidence-based medicine?
This is a concern that may go beyond my scope, but it worries me as a professional. Whenever a new hair therapy emerges, products quickly appear claiming to prevent hair loss.
It is true that the term “stem cells” has become an attractive hook to draw patients, but at present there is no approved indication, drug, or proven product containing stem cells for the treatment of alopecia.
It seems fewer men are traveling to Turkey for hair transplants. Has hair transplantation become more democratized?
Hair transplantation offers a definitive, natural, and undetectable solution. Excellent hair transplants are performed in Spain. While international travel in search of lower costs was once common, it was not always accompanied by adequate quality standards.
In Spain, outstanding transplants are performed. Costs are linked to quality, clinical experience, the team performing the procedure, a safe environment, and proper follow-up. That trend has now largely faded.
Additionally, the visibility of successful transplants—thanks to public figures from sports, arts, and politics openly acknowledging them—has shown the public that we can now offer highly successful and definitive procedures.
Are bald people an endangered species?
Let us hope so. Many research teams around the world share the dream of helping patients affected by this condition, which not only removes physical protection against solar radiation but also affects self-image. We are eager to work hard and find effective solutions for this disease.
