Because chronic inflammation of the hair follicle is considered a contributing factor in the onset and progression of common pattern hair loss, study investigators Sridar Chittur, Brian Parr & Geno Marcovici sought to measure the test material's activity in blocking key markers of pathologic inflammation by using a well-validated molecular assay representative of hair follicle keratinocytes. Specifically, the research team found that the test compound suppressed gene expression of several inflammatory chemokines potentially linked to hair loss.
Hair loss affects over forty million American men and twenty million American women. The hair loss treatment industry represents a multi-billion dollar revenue stream annually.
In addition to anti-inflammatory agents, TS050508A was formulated with a subset of botanically derived, highly potent DHT inhibitors. DHT is a well-known trigger of pattern hair loss. Thus, by combining targeted anti-inflammatory agents with potent DHT inhibitors the test composition has been designed to offer enhanced clinical efficacy over conventional monotherapy.
Lead scientist for the study Sridar Chittur, Ph.D. has been at the forefront of molecular research authoring published works ranging from degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD), to transcriptional changes associated with oxidative stress in the mitochondria. Co-author Brian Parr, Ph.D. brings a wealth of basic science expertise to the project with a number of peer-reviewed papers describing novel gene transcription and protein expression profiles in the Wnt and Frizzled pathways.
Study co-author Geno Marcovici, Ph.D. has been active in the hair loss field for more than a decade. His research efforts include the first published clinical trial successfully testing naturally derived 5 alpha reductase inhibitors in the setting of pattern hair loss. Explaining the importance of validating ART's proprietary formulations Marcovici notes that "[a]side from HairGenesis
