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In good news for men anxious about their thinning hair, scientists have identified a naturally occurring sugar that could be a game-changer for treating male pattern baldness.
While working on an altogether different project about how wounds heal, researchers at the University of Sheffield and COMSATS University Pakistan observed that hair around treated wound patches grew faster than untreated areas. Upon closer inspection, they found that the sugar 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR), which is naturally produced by the human body, was responsible for the hair regrowth observed in the mice.
Currently, one of the only FDA-approved treatments for hair loss is minoxidil, also known by the brand name Rogaine. While effective (but much less so with older patients), this drug can have nasty effects, including hair shedding and scalp irritation. However, using a natural sugar like 2dDR may turn out to reverse hair loss without the side effects.
Early stages of a potential breakthrough
“Male pattern baldness is such a common condition, affecting men all over the world, but at the moment there are only two FDA licensed drugs to treat it. Our research suggests that the answer to treating hair loss might be as simple as using a naturally occurring deoxy ribose sugar to boost the blood supply to the hair follicles to encourage hair growth,” said Professor Sheila MacNeil, who is a professor of tissue engineering at the University of Sheffield.
“The research we have done is very much early stage, but the results are promising and warrant further investigation. This could offer another approach to treating this condition which can affect men’s self-image and confidence.”
In experiments, the researchers used mice with testosterone-induced hair loss. The mice were divided into four groups: a control group, a minoxidil-treated group, a 2dDR-treated group, and a combination of 2dDR and minoxidil.
After 20 days, mice being treated with 2dDR showed similar hair regrowth to those treated with minoxidil. The 2dDR group also exhibited an increase in blood vessels, hair follicle length, and density. The treatment also enhanced the amount of hair in the anagen (growth) stage, which is important for maintaining hair density.
The researchers believe that 2dDR upregulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), known to promote hair growth. They see it as a natural alternative to minoxidil for male pattern hair loss. But it also could be promising for treating chemotherapy-induced hair loss. However, further studies are needed to understand the exact mechanisms of 2dDR on hair regeneration. And, of course, we must assess whether it works on actual people in clinical trials.
“This pro-angiogenic deoxy ribose sugar is naturally occurring, inexpensive and stable and we have shown it can be delivered from a variety of carrier gels or dressings. This makes it an attractive candidate to explore further for treatment of hair loss in men,” said co-author Muhammed Yar from the COMSATS University of Pakistan.
The future frontier
As of January 2026, the landscape for 2dDR and hair loss treatments has evolved significantly. While the initial excitement remains, the timeline for a consumer product has been tempered by the realities of clinical testing.
Despite the promising mouse data, the “sugar gel” has not yet entered human clinical trials. The research team at the University of Sheffield is currently in the “pre-clinical” phase, actively seeking commercial pharmaceutical partners to fund the rigorous safety and toxicity testing required by regulators. Without this funding, the treatment cannot move forward to human testing.
Crucially, the researchers issued a “buyer beware” warning in late 2025 regarding unauthorized products. Following the viral spread of the original study, several online vendors began selling unregulated topical 2dDR formulations. The scientists have clarified that they do not endorse these “grey market” products and emphasized that safety in humans has not yet been established.
On the scientific front, follow-up research has confirmed the mechanism of action: 2dDR works by upregulating Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), essentially mimicking a wound response to trigger a rush of blood flow and nutrients that “wakes up” dormant follicles.
Ultimately, this remains a very promising technology, but it’s not quite thereUltimately, this remains a very promising technology that could eventually help chemotherapy patients and balding men alike. But for now, we have to wait for the clinical trials to catch up to the hype.
This article was originally published on Jul 24, 2024. The last section has been added subsequently.
The findings appeared in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.
