I have covered most of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) meetings since starting this site in 2013. I had to delay writing about this latest 2024 edition by several days due to other more exciting developments in the world of hair.
Update: March 22 — William Shatner discussed his stage 4 melanoma diagnosis at AAD2024. Also, a happy 93rd birthday today to the hair regrowth and Star Trek legend.
Watching @WilliamShatner discussing how doctors share diagnoses and bad news @AADskin. #aad2024 pic.twitter.com/Akwu8xwCmw
— Roxana Daneshjou MD/PhD (@RoxanaDaneshjou) March 10, 2024
AAD Annual Meeting in San Diego from March 8-12, 2024
When I looked through the various speaker sessions at #AAD2024, the first thing to strike me was that 92-year old legendary actor William Shatner is the keynote speaker. He will talk on March 10. How extraordinary, especially since the nonagenarian has had a lot of work done on his hair for decades. In 2022, he was even pictured outside his favorite hair transplant clinic in Los Angeles. I added his picture in the above plenary session screenshot.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) was founded in 1938 and currently counts virtually all practicing dermatologists in the United States as members. The vast field of dermatology encompasses diseases and conditions of the hair (body and scalp), nails, scalp and skin.
This year’s 2024 AAD annual meeting will be hosted in San Diego and runs from March 8-12. I will try top update this post when I see new updates of interest.
- Earlier today, Pelage Pharmaceuticals gave a positive update on its novel small molecule PP405. Summary here. In Phase 1 clinical trials, PP405 reactivated dormant hair follicle stem cells and triggered hair growth. The company’s presentation was made by Dr. Christina Weng and titled: “Inhibition of pyruvate oxidation activates human hair follicle stem cells ex vivo”. Pelage will begin its multi-center Phase 2a trial of PP405 in mid-2024, when it will recruit both men and women with androgenetic alopecia.
- Dr. Ken Washenik will present on the emerging potential of topical androgen modulators in androgenetic alopecia. I presume this will be about at least several of the ones that I mentioned in this Tweet from November 2022.