Could this experimental electric comb be a cure for baldness?

Researchers at Beihang University in China, alongside the City University of Hong Kong and other institutions, have developed an experimental comb-shaped device called Detangle designed to treat hair loss. New Atlas reported that the team designed the device to tackle androgenetic alopecia, which is the typical progressive pattern of hair loss affecting both men and women. According to the New York Post, pattern hair loss affects roughly 50 million men and 30 million women over their lifetimes. The findings were published in the international journal Nature Communications.

DongA Science reported that the Detangle device features two built-in electrodes that generate an electric field of about 260.37 volts per meter. As the comb's specially designed teeth gently lift the scalp, the device delivers charged pulses that increase the permeability of cell membranes and help move drugs into deeper tissue. DongA Science noted that the tool delivered therapeutic molecules down to hair follicle cells located about 660 micrometers deep. The device's pen-like reservoirs were loaded with DNA encoding VEGF-A to promote blood vessel formation and small interfering RNA to suppress dihydrotestosterone, a hormone involved in hair loss.

In experiments involving male mice whose back fur had been removed, researchers created an animal model of hair loss using daily testosterone applications. New Atlas reported that using Detangle every three days came close to returning hair coverage by day 28. The New York Post stated that the comb resulted in 100 percent hair regrowth, while New Atlas and DongA Science noted that mice treated with daily topical minoxidil showed about a 70 percent recovery of balding areas over the same period. The New York Post added that finasteride also did not perform as well as the comb in the tests.

Tissue analyses confirmed notable improvements in follicle activity and local circulation, including the creation of new blood vessels around hair follicles. New Atlas noted that human scalps have yet to receive their turn beneath the device. Human tolerability, lasting benefits, and the demands of repeated treatment remain open questions for the researchers. DongA Science stated that the team believes the technology could serve as a safe and effective method in dermatology for delivering genetic materials and other agents into deep skin tissues.