IRVINE, Calif. — A team of scientists at the University of California, Irvine, led by biologist Maksim Plikus, claim to have discovered a possible cure for hair loss in a petri dish. 

The professor of developmental and cell biology said it promises to be unlike any other hair loss treatment.

“And, at present, there are no effective therapies that work universally, uh, that one does not need to take daily, and that does not have pretty strong side effects,” Plikus said.

Plikus and team made a discovery. They identified a naturally occurring protein molecule that triggers a dormant hair follicle to regenerate hair.