Vitiligo News and Research

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Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes (the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed. As a result, white patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. Similar patches also appear on both the mucous membranes (tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose) and the retina (inner layer of the eyeball). The hair that grows on areas affected by vitiligo sometimes turns white.

Study identifies 135 genes associated with human skin color

The skin, hair and eye color of more than eight billion humans is determined by the light-absorbing pigment known as melanin.

11 Aug 2023

Repurposed drug effective at inhibiting a protein kinase linked to cardiac arrhythmias

Ruxolitinib, a drug that is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating certain cancers and skin conditions, is effective at inhibiting CaMKII, a protein kinase linked to cardiac arrhythmias.

21 Jun 2023

High levels of memory killer cells correlate with better survival in melanoma patients

Our skin contains specialized long-lived killer cells that protect against intruders. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have now identified how these cells are formed, and shown that high levels of memory killer cells in cancer tissue correlate with a better survival rate in people with melanoma.

2 Jun 2023

Burden of autoimmune disease continues to increase over time, research suggests

EULAR – the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – works on a broad spectrum of autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases.

31 May 2023

Mount Sinai to expand research training program in skin biology with support from $1.3 million T32 grant

The Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will expand its research training program in skin biology with support from a five-year, $1.3 million T32 grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

3 Apr 2023

Researchers explore single-cell sequencing technologies to understand molecular mechanisms of autoimmune diseases

A new review discussed the applications of single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing (scRNA-seq) in understanding autoimmune disorders.

17 Oct 2022

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases following COVID-19

Researchers explore the potential association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

12 Oct 2022

Study develops single-use microneedle patch tattoos with wide-ranging application potential

Researchers developed a rapid, sterile, and painless method of tattooing using single-use microneedle tattoo patches, which can be used for cosmetic and veterinary applications and storing medical information.

19 Sep 2022

Survey: 'Healthy tan' and other myths about sun safety are alive in Europe, other countries

8 in 10 Europeans believe tans are attractive with almost as many (73%) saying tans are healthy, according to a new study presented today at the 31st European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress.

9 Sep 2022

New machine learning method may improve the identification of genes that cause diseases

A new machine learning method to model gene expression levels might improve the identification of genes that cause human diseases, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

28 Jun 2022

Discovery may lead to new treatments to reduce inflammation in vitiligo disease

A new study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, reveals the unique cell-to-cell communication networks that can perpetuate inflammation and prevent repigmentation in patients with vitiligo disease.

7 Jun 2022

Skin-related side effects may be an indicator that the cancer medications are working

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which strengthen the immune response against tumor cells, have become standard of care for many patients with advanced cancers; however, the medications can often cause side effects, most commonly affecting the skin.

12 Jan 2022

An analysis of risk factors and symptom presentation among groups at risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection

The study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv*, analyzed the specific linkages between the COVID-19 patients belonging to the three risk groups with the overall COVID-19 patients and compared symptoms between and within the risk groups.

6 Dec 2021

Inherited genetic variation may affect the response to cancer immunotherapy

For all their importance as a breakthrough treatment, the cancer immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors still only benefit a small minority of patients, perhaps 15 percent across different types of cancer.

10 Feb 2021

Immunotherapy side effect could signal improved control of kidney cancer

An autoimmune side effect of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) drugs could signal improved control of kidney cancer, according to a new study by researchers in UT Southwestern's Kidney Cancer Program (KCP).

2 Nov 2020

Study shows effectiveness of UV-C light for killing COVID-19 on N95 respirators

Dermatology researchers at Henry Ford Health System, in collaboration with a team at the University of Michigan, have demonstrated that certain N95 respirators tainted with COVID-19 can be effectively and safely decontaminated for reuse using ultraviolet-C light (UV-C), a method commonly utilized for treating rare skin diseases.

22 Sep 2020

Study: Blocking nerve signals to the pancreas could stop patients from developing type 1 diabetes

Your pancreas is a little sweet potato-shaped organ that sits snug behind your stomach. The pancreas is studded with islets, the cell clusters that house insulin-producing beta cells.

27 Aug 2020

New method to deliver an immune system 'uncloaking' device directly to cancer cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have designed and successfully tested an experimental, super small package able to deliver molecular signals that tag implanted human cancer cells in mice and make them visible for destruction by the animals' immune systems.

26 Feb 2020

Researchers analyze precise mechanism of binding reaction in PUVA therapy

The term 'PUVA' stands for 'psoralen' and 'UV-A radiation'. Psoralens are natural plant-based compounds that can be extracted from umbelliferous plants such as giant hogweeds.

21 Aug 2019

Genetic and environmental factors play major roles in the onset of vitiligo

A pair of new journal articles by researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine indicate that both genetic and environmental factors play significant roles in the onset of vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that results in the loss of color in blotches of skin.

31 Jul 2019