Topical treatment is designed to reactivate dormant hair follicle stem cells and restore the body’s ability to naturally grow hair.
Regenerative medicine company Pelage Pharmaceuticals has secured a $14 million Series A-1 financing round and commenced its Phase 2a study evaluating its topical treatment for androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as pattern baldness. The company’s treatment, an MPC inhibitor called PP405, is based on discovery of a metabolic switch, which reawakens dormant hair follicle stem cells to stimulate hair growth
Andogenetic alopecia affects both males and females and is characterized by progressive loss of terminal hair of the scalp. In males, pattern baldness is the most common form of hair loss, affecting 30-50% of men by age 50. In cases of androgenetic alopecia, the normal hair growth cycle is disrupted due to various factors including genetics, age, hormones and environmental influences. However, the hair follicles and stem cells remain intact but inactive.
Based on UCLA scientists’ groundbreaking discovery that hair follicle stem cells have a unique metabolic switch, PP405 targets that switch to reactivate the dormant stem cells, aiming to restore the hair growth cycle. In the company’s Phase 1 trial, the treatment demonstrated proof of mechanism and target engagement with statistically significant activation of hair follicle stem cells.
Pelage’s Phase 2a study is a randomized, placebo-controlled trial enrolling 60 participants, who will receive daily topical applications of either PP405 or a placebo. The trial aims to assess both the safety and preliminary efficacy of PP405, and emphasizes inclusivity, ensuring that individuals of all skin phototypes and hair textures can participate.
“The advancement of our lead program, PP405, into Phase 2a is a pivotal moment in our journey to deliver a non-invasive, innovative treatment for androgenetic alopecia across all genders, skin types, and hair types,” said Dr Qing Yu Christina Weng, Pelage’s Chief Medical Officer. “We are excited to include women and men of all skin tones and hair textures, which has not always been the case in hair loss studies.”
The latest funding round was led by GV (formerly Google Ventures) and follows an initial $16.75 million Series A financing announced earlier this year. The new investment will accelerate the ongoing Phase 2 clinical program and help drive the company’s broader strategic objectives.
“GV is encouraged by Pelage’s prior Phase 1 data readouts and robust clinical safety profile,” said GV’s Cathy Friedman, Executive Venture Partner at GV. “We believe the expert team at Pelage is well-positioned to advance this novel and innovative hair loss research, providing a potential alternative to existing treatments that simply slow hair loss.”
