Is PP405 the Answer to Hair Loss?
Hair loss—especially androgenetic alopecia—affects millions of men and women worldwide. While traditional therapies like minoxidil and finasteride have been available for decades, many hair loss patients seek safer, more targeted solutions. A promising new topical small molecule compound, PP405, has emerged as a frontrunner in the search for a drug that can spark new hair growth by directly stimulating human hair follicle stem cells.
Developed by Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a medical development company spun out of research at UCLA, PP405 is now in Phase 2a human trials for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Early data suggest it may offer a breakthrough—not only for male pattern baldness, but also for patients affected by medical conditions such as chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
What Is The UCLA Miracle Drug: PP405 ?
PP405 is a topical small molecule that bypasses hormonal pathways and targets metabolic signaling inside the follicle. Specifically, it inhibits the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC)—a protein that controls how pyruvate enters the mitochondria for energy generation. By disrupting this pathway, PP405 shifts cells toward glycolysis, a state that promotes hair regeneration.
The compound was developed by UCLA scientists, including Dr. Heather Christofk, a professor of biological chemistry, and Dr. William Lowry, a stem cell biologist. Their work—featured in UCLA Magazine and based on earlier findings at Harvard Medical School—has been pivotal in uncovering how metabolism controls stem cell activation.
Check out their phase 1 clinical study.
Drs. Lowry and Christofk, together with Dr. Michael Jung a medicinal chemist, co-founded Pelage Pharma. They are joined by Drs. Daniel Gil and Qing Yu Christina Weng, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Pelage Pharmaceuticals, respectively. Pelage Pharmaceuticals is based out of Los Angeles California.
A Parallel Innovation: TR6 Botanical Complex
While PP405 advances through traditional pharmaceutical channels, AlviArmani Research Institute has spent nearly two decades developing a biologically active alternative: the TR6™ Botanical Complex. TR6 is the result of a long-term effort to identify, test, and dose-optimize phytonutrients capable of awakening dormant follicles using a natural, non-pharmaceutical route.
Research began in 2006 with hundreds of botanicals cited in ancient medicine. These were formulated into topicals and tested using MicroScalp™ Technology, AlviArmani’s proprietary hair follicle viability assay. Over 20,000 grafts were studied.
The result was TR6—a concentrated blend of phytonutrients that stimulate regrowth, increase follicle density, and improve the scalp’s regenerative environment.
Where PP405 works through mitochondrial signaling, TR6 optimizes multiple processes involved in hair growth cycling to achieve a similar outcome: enhanced follicular activity and increased visible density across various hair types and skin types. It’s the botanical foundation behind Sempre Hair Growth Shampoo, Conditioner, and Pre-Operative Kits used to prepare patients for transplant and improve surgical outcomes.
How Does Pelage Pharmaceuticals PP405 Work?
What Do Hair Follicles and Leg Day Have in Common?
Think back to the burn in your legs during a hard workout — that’s your muscles switching from oxygen-powered (aerobic) metabolism to glycolysis, a faster, oxygen-independent way of producing energy.
Interestingly, regenerating hair follicle stem cells prefer this same shortcut.
Instead of relying on the mitochondria, they thrive in a glycolytic state — just like your muscles during sprints. It’s not about energy efficiency — it’s about speed and readiness to grow.
PP405 mimics this state.
By blocking the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), PP405 nudges dormant hair follicle stem cells away from mitochondrial metabolism and into glycolysis, triggering them to exit dormancy and start regenerating.
In other words:
PP405 pushes hair follicle stem cells into “go mode” by reprogramming their metabolism — just like your body does when it needs explosive power.
Understanding the Science Behind Both Approaches
Hair follicles cycle through growth, rest, and shedding phases. When human hair follicle stem cells become quiescent—due to aging, metabolic imbalance, or damage—hair stops regenerating. A 2017 hair loss study in Nature Cell Biology found that increasing lactate dehydrogenase activity could reactivate stem cells, promoting regrowth (Flores et al., 2017). PP405 mimics this by shifting energy usage in stem cells.
In parallel, TR6 was refined through a process of formulation, breakdown, retesting, and dose optimization. Unlike pharmaceutical interventions, TR6 offers a non-FDA regulated, topically or injectable applied botanical route that achieves high levels of patient tolerance and compliance.
Learn more about our non-surgical restoration therapies, which integrate TR6-based kits, PRP, and exosomes, often in preparation for or in conjunction with surgical procedures.
Why It Matters
- Topical, Localized Action – Both PP405 and TR6 act directly at the scalp, limiting systemic exposure.
- Diverse Applicability – Effective across many hair types and skin types, making them accessible to a broader population.
- Alternative to Hormones – Unlike DHT blockers like finasteride, both can operate independently of hormonal pathways. TR6 also includes anti -DHT activity as one of its modes of action. Topical application mitigates disruption of systemic hormonal pathways. It is not appropriate for expecting or nursing mothers.
- Innovative Science – TR6 is a leader in botanical metabolomics; PP405 represents a pharmacologic breakthrough in stem cell metabolism.
- Complementary Use – Patients using TR6-based products may benefit further from PP405 once approved, creating a two-pronged approach to hair follicle rejuvenation.
Check out Sempre Hair Growth Products. A High End Performance Hair Growth Line Featuring TR6 ->
What Does The Early Clinical Data on PP405 Show?
According to a 2024 press release, PP405 has shown excellent tolerability and early efficacy in its first human trials, with measurable increases in hair density and reduction in peach fuzz variety hairs. These results are now being validated across a more diverse patient base through Phase 2a studies.
Understanding FDA Clinical Trial Phases
For a new pharmaceutical like PP405 to reach the public, it must undergo a multi-phase review process overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Each phase is designed to assess the drug’s safety, efficacy, dosage, and side effect profile in progressively larger and more diverse patient populations.
- Phase 1: Evaluates basic safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in a small group of healthy volunteers or patients.
- Phase 2a: Focuses on finding the ideal dosage range and early evidence of effectiveness in a target population.
- Phase 2b: Further investigates efficacy and safety in a larger cohort.
- Phase 3: Large-scale, multicenter trials to compare the drug against placebo or current standards of care before potential approval.
PP405 is currently in Phase 2a, collecting data on dosage and early signs of efficacy. Its future progression depends on whether it can replicate these results in broader, more rigorous studies.
Why AlviArmani Did Not Pursue the FDA Route with TR6
While PP405 follows the FDA drug approval pathway, AlviArmani made a conscious decision not to pursue FDA clearance for TR6. This choice was based on a core belief: hair loss is a holistic condition that cannot be fully addressed by the “one agent, one target” model required for pharmaceutical approval.
Scientific evidence and patient experience both suggest that hair cycling involves multiple interdependent biological processes—including metabolism, inflammation, hormonal signaling, extracellular matrix dynamics, and vascular supply. TR6 reflects this complexity.
Rather than focusing on a single molecular target, TR6 delivers a synergistic, dose-optimized blend of phytonutrients, tested over 15 years using advanced assays including MicroScalp™ and PCR gene analysis.
This multi-pathway approach makes TR6 fundamentally different from pharmaceutical solutions. It offers broad compatibility across skin and hair types, excellent tolerability, and can be used both independently and as part of a comprehensive regenerative protocol.
At AlviArmani, our philosophy is simple: treat the root causes of hair loss with scientifically rigorous, patient-aligned solutions—whether surgical, botanical, or metabolic. That’s why TR6 is integrated into every phase of our hair transplant process, from pre-op optimization to post-op regrowth support.
Learn more about our scientific advancements and how they inform every product and procedure we offer.
Why So Many Hair Loss Drugs Fail
The road to regulatory approval is long—and filled with failure. While PP405 shows promise, many hair loss drugs have stalled or been abandoned in clinical development. Here’s a snapshot of the therapeutic landscape:
| Company | Status | Notes |
| Pelage Pharmaceuticals | Ongoing | PP405, Phase 2, targets dormant hair follicle stem cells |
| Veradermics | Ongoing | VDPHL01, Phase 2/3, oral non-hormonal treatment |
| Eirion Therapeutics | Ongoing | Topical therapy with strong early trial results, Phase 1 |
| Amplifica | Ongoing | Novel molecules to stimulate hair follicle growth |
| RepliCel Life Sciences | Ongoing | Autologous cell therapies for hair restoration |
| Kintor Pharmaceutical | Mixed | Pyrilutamide, mixed results in Phase 3 trials |
| Eli Lilly and Incyte | Approved | Baricitinib, FDA-approved for alopecia areata |
| Pfizer | Approved | Litfulo (ritlecitinib), FDA-approved for alopecia areata |
| Allergan / AbbVie | Failed | Setipiprant failed in Phase 2A trial |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | Failed | Topical for alopecia areata failed in Phase 2 |
| Kintor Pharmaceutical | Failed | Pyrilutamide underperformed in Phase 3 |
| Biosplice Therapeutics | Failed | Dalosirvat discontinued after poor Phase 3 results |
| Q32 Bio | Failed | Bempikibart failed to show efficacy |
| Intercytex / Aderans | Failed | Hair cloning therapies discontinued due to insufficient results |
This high attrition rate underscores the importance of TR6’s available-now approach.
While PP405 must still prove itself in long-term, multicenter trials, TR6 is already being used clinically in combination with PRP, exosomes, and Vitruvian FUE™, enhancing outcomes for patients around the world.
For more breakthrough hair loss solutions in 2025 ->
Looking Ahead
As the scientific understanding of hair growth advances, PP405 offers hope as a metabolically targeted drug therapy, while TR6 continues to demonstrate results through a multi-pathway botanical approach grounded in years of clinical use.
Have all our prayers been answered for hair loss…. Not yet…. but stay tuned. With the advances in the last decade and the momentum in research picking up, the future of hair restoration is bright.
At AlviArmani, our mission is to combine the best of both worlds: scientific rigor and real-world applicability. Whether it’s TR6, advanced regenerative techniques, or personalized surgical artistry, we believe in giving patients a comprehensive toolkit—not just a single molecule.
To learn more about AlviArmani advancements click here. ->
If you would like a personal assessment for hair loss solutions ->
Citations
- Harel S, Higgins CA, Cerise JE, et al. Pharmacologic inhibition of JAK-STAT signaling promotes hair growth. Sci Adv. 2015;1(9):e1500973. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1500973
- Flores A, Schell J, Krall AS, et al. Lactate dehydrogenase activity drives hair follicle stem cell activation. Nat Cell Biol. 2017;19(9):1017-1026. doi:10.1038/ncb3575
- Liu X, Flores AA, Situ L, et al. Development of Novel Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Inhibitors to Treat Hair Loss. J Med Chem. 2021;64(4):2046-2063. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01570
- Andrus, E. (2024, August 19). Q&A: Pelage’s novel PP405 advances to phase 2a for androgenetic alopecia. Dermatology Times. https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/q-a-pelage-s-novel-pp405-advances-to-phase-2a-for-androgenetic-alopecia