Translational Research in Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a disease of the skin characterized by the appearance of white spots. Significant progress has been made in understanding vitiligo pathogenesis over the past 40 years, but only through perseverance, collaboration, and open-minded discussion. Early hypotheses considered roles for innervation, microvascular anomalies, oxidative stress, defects in melanocyte adhesion, autoimmunity, somatic mosaicism, and genetics. Because theories about pathogenesis drive experimental design, focus, and even therapeutic approach, it is important to consider their impact on our current understanding about vitiligo. Animal models have allowed researchers to perform mechanistic studies, and the development of better patient sample collection methods has provided a platform for translational studies in vitiligo that can also be applied to understand other autoimmune diseases that are more difficult to study using translational research strategies. Here we discuss the history of vitiligo translational research, recent advances, and their implications for new treatment approaches.