Hair loss affects roughly 61 million people in the United States. More than 95% of hair thinning in men is attributed to male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia. The hair loss product market is a multi-billion dollar market: in the United States alone, this market’s annual revenue is 7 billion dollars, with 3.5% annual growth rate from 2007 to 2012, yet a sufficient solution has yet to be made available. The trigger for androgenetic alopecia is believed to be dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a derivative of testosterone. This summer, we are engineering Bacillus Subtilis, a model organism for a bacterium found naturally on the scalp, to secrete 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3-α-HSD). This enzyme reduces DHT to a non-steroidically active compound, using NADPH and NADH as cofactors.

Our project consists of 3 main parts: 3-α-HSD secretion by the bacterium, engineered bacterium for NADPH overproduction, and a comb as a tool to create a user-friendly experience. By synchronizing these parts, we hope to be able to show convincing evidence of DHT breakdown, providing a promising platform for treatment of male pattern baldness!