Dormant pigment cells found in vitiligo patches may offer treatment target
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have discovered that melanocytes in vitiligo patients do not disappear but instead enter a dormant, dedifferentiated state. This finding suggests that future treatments could focus on reactivating these existing cells rather than just preventing further loss.
Why it matters
This discovery could fundamentally change the therapeutic approach to vitiligo, shifting from symptom management to potential cellular restoration.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys melanocytes, the cells that produce the skin pigment melanin. Once the melanocytes are gone, the skin turns white, leading to the characteristic skin patches of the disease. However, the standard model of vitiligo doesn't explain some of its unusual features. Some vitiligo lesions repigment, and treatments sometimes restore pigmentation even in areas that lack melanocytes, suggesting that the melanocytes may not be fully destroyed.
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