Vitiligo patients ‘could be aided by protein modification’

A new study has revealed a potential new means of treating the skin disease vitiligo, which causes physical discolouration, through the use of a genetically modified protein.

Scientists at Loyola University Chicago have carried out research that builds on the prior understanding that a protein called HSP70i plays a vital role in the autoimmune response that causes the condition, sending the immune system into overdrive and killing pigment cells.

By creating a mutant form of the protein that can be injected to reverse vitiligo's autoimmune response, the team was able to effectively vaccinate a group of mice, causing them to return to their normal colour.

The scientists are now seeking approval to launch a human trial of this new treatment method, which could prove to be the first effective therapy for this disease.

Dr Caroline Le Poole of Loyola University Chicago said this study shows that mutant HSP70i "may offer potent treatment opportunities for vitiligo".

Vitiligo affects around one percent of people in the UK, with symptoms of the disease first emerging at around 20 years of age.