A new study published in the journal JCI Insight revealed that cell-to-cell communication networks could perpetuate irritation and help to prevent repigmentation in patients with vitiligo disease. The study was conducted by a group of researchers from the University of California, Irvine. The study "Multimodal Analyses of Vitiligo Skin Identifies Tissue Characteristics of Stable Disease" combined non-invasive multiphoton microscopy (MPM) imaging and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to identify distinct subpopulations of keratinocytes in the lesional skin of stable vitiligo patients along with the changes in cellular compositions in stable vitiligo skin that result in a persistent disease condition.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease characterized by the progressive death of mature melanin-forming cells in the skin by immune cells known as autoreactive CD8 T cells, resulting in disfiguring patches of white depigmented skin. Several studies have linked vitiligo to considerable psychological discomfort in sufferers. Dr. Jessica Shiu, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Dermatology and one of the authors of the study, stated that the role of CD8 T cells implicated in the death of melanocytes in active vitiligo was unknown, along with a lack of adequate instruments that made it difficult to analyse the interaction between immune cells, melanocytes, and keratinocytes in situ in human skin till now. 

“In this study, we coupled advance imaging with transcriptomics and bioinformatics to discover the cell-to-cell communication networks between keratinocytes, immune cells, and melanocytes that drive inflammation and prevent repigmentation caused by vitiligo," stated Mr. Anand K. Ganesan, MD, Ph.D., professor of dermatology and vice-chair for dermatology research at the UCI School of Medicine.

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/new-way-to-reduce-inflammation-and-prevent-repigmentation-in-vitiligo-patients-study-101657175368741.html )