Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center are currently testing "ruxolitinib," a new class of drug that is proving effective on persons suffering from a baldness disease called alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata causes the hair of the person to fall off on its own. It's an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and destroys hair follicles.

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Ruxolitinib belongs to a new class of drug called JAK inhibitors normally used to treat a bone marrow condition called myelofibrosis. It is approved in the US and EU for treatment of myelofibrosis.

Ruxolitinib was picked by scientists to be tested on five men and seven women for a medical trial at the university. These 12 persons had lost at least a third of the hair on their heads.

All 12 were classified as having moderate-to-severe Alopecia areata. Three showed dramatic hair regrowth after treatment with a twice daily tablet for up to five months.

Researchers reported that each regained total hair regrowth within five months of being treated with ruxolitinib.

The drug was described as "Not life threatening, but it is life altering" by Professor Angela Christiano, one of the team from Columbia University Medical Center who has suffered from the condition.

The results were announced in the online edition of Nature Medicine journal by the team from Columbia. The treatment, however, won't work for the more common male-pattern baldness that is linked to hormones.

"We've only begun testing the drug in patients, but if the drug continues to be successful and safe, it will have a dramatic, positive impact on the lives of people with this disease," said team leader, Raphael Clynes.

Scientists warn it's too soon to conclude if the drug would work for the majority of alopecia areata sufferers. It's also too early to tell if there are safety concerns or significant side effects, according to The New York Times.

Tagsmedicine, Drugs, Scince, scientific research, Balding, baldness, bald, Hair, Hairloss