Our overall research aim is to provide hope and confidence to people with alopecia by funding research into its causes, with the aim of finding treatments, and ultimately, a cure. For too long those with alopecia have had to deal with treatments that work for some and not for others, with no actual cure available.  

Alopecia UK are keen to keep those with alopecia at the heart of what they do and keep everything within the charity driven by the needs and wants of those with alopecia. As such we want to ensure those with alopecia are involved in the direction of research and that the voice of those with alopecia is always heard. We believe that our Research Strategy, and the direction of research, relies on our patient mandate, and we look forward to keeping you all involved in this process.

For more information, download our Research Strategy

Key areas of Research?

Alopecia UK have identified three key areas for research.

1. Causes: Understanding the causes of hair loss can help inform treatments and hopefully in the future a cure.
2. Treatments: What treatments are available for Alopecia and how effective are current treatments. In addition to medical treatments, Alopecia UK also want to look at lifestyle changes that may be of benefit to people with alopecia and the psychological interventions available which may alleviate the distress associated with hair loss.
3. Management: How is alopecia managed both medically and psychologically and how can we better support people with hair loss to manage the condition.

Supporting Research           

Alopecia UK aim to support researchers by providing funding and helping researchers to publicise their projects to people affected by alopecia and members of the public. We took our first steps towards funding research in 2015, when Alopecia UK funded the Hair Loss Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) with the James Lind Alliance, the results of which were published in two papers, one in 2017 and the other in 2018. The PSP involved people affected by alopecia and treatment providers and prioritised the top 10 questions raised by participants, available here.

The merger between Autoimmune Alopecia Research UK (AAR-UK) and Alopecia UK in November 2017 marked the start of an exciting new chapter, where both charities decided to combine efforts to increase research funding for alopecia. 

In 2018, we held our first ever grant funding call. Two projects were funded in this round:

1. Characterising the role of antigen presenting cells in alopecia areata, run by Dr Andrei Mardaryev at the University of Bradford.
2. Coeliac disease and micronutrient deficiency in alopecia areata: Association or coincidence?, run by Dr Amr Salam at St Johns Institute of Dermatology in London.

In 2020, we held our second grant funding call. Four projects were funded in this round:

1. Genome-wide meta-analysis and comprehensive functional annotation of susceptibility loci in female frontal fibrosing alopecia, run by Dr Christos Tziotzios at St John's Institute of Dermatology.
2. Microbiota signature of alopecia, run by Dr Claire Higgins at Imperial College.
3. Do you see you?  Impact of media representation on woman with alopecia, run by Dr Shruti Narayaswamy at University of St Andrews.
4. Molecular exploration of male frontal fibrosing alopecia, run by Dr Tuntas Rayinda at King's College.

In 2021, we opened a third funding call for our Research Pots Grant Scheme. Two projects were funded in this round, although only one of these progressed:

1. 'Identification of key immunogenic post-translational modifications in Trichohyalin: a potential major autoantigen in Alopecia Areata' run by Dr Shahnawaz Jadeja at University College Dublin.

In 2022, we funded a further three projects through our Research Pots:

1. 'Determining the key components of psychological support to facilitate adjustment in individuals with alopecia areata' run by Dr Fabio Zucchelli at the University of the West of England Bristol.
2. 'Global Registry of alopecia areata disease Severity and treatment Safety (GRASS) UK', run by Dr Matthew Harries at the University of Manchester.
3. 'Immunometabolism in Alopecia Areata', run by Dr Talveen Purba at the University of Manchester.

Information on our 2023 Research Pots awards round can be found here.

Monitoring of current research projects

We will continue to monitor projects already funded by AAR-UK and Alopecia UK, to update our members on progress and ensure funds are being used appropriately. Details and updates on each project can be found on the 'Our Research Projects' page.