Pelage Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Pelage Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology company founded in 2018 by UCLA researchers (William Lowry, Heather Christofk, and Michael Jung), with its headquarters located in Los Angeles, California. The company focuses on developing small molecule therapies to restore hair follicle function and promote hair regrowth in conditions such as androgenetic alopecia. Pelage advances regenerative medicine solutions for hair loss, supported by research from UCLA.

Business/Product Breakdown

Pelage Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops a topical small molecule therapy, PP405, designed to reactivate dormant hair follicle stem cells by inhibiting a metabolic pathway that maintains follicles in a resting state, enabling a non-invasive approach to treating hair loss without hormonal interventions. The platform targets the mTORC1 signaling pathway in hair follicle stem cells, with preclinical studies demonstrating rapid hair regrowth in mouse models. The company completed its Phase 1 trial in January 2024, demonstrating the drug's safety, tolerability, and ability to activate dormant hair follicle stem cells. Following this, Pelage announced positive Phase 2a results in mid-2025, which met the primary safety goals and showed promising early signs of efficacy, including a significant increase in hair density for a portion of male participants. With a $120 million Series B funding round, the company was financed and poised to begin crucial Phase 3 trials in 2026.