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This session will provide a practical scientific review on the immunology of vitiligo that will summarize the role of inflammation, genetics, and oxidative stress. The role of the JAK/TEC pathway will be emphasized. The psychosocial impact of vitiligo will be reviewed.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the role of genetics, oxidative stress, and immunological pathways of inflammation involved in the etiology of vitiligo
- Describe emerging therapeutic targets (such as JAK and TEC kinase related pathways) for vitiligo and how their modulation affects inflammation
- Discuss how vitiligo affects patients both psychologically and socially
Faculty
Victor Huang, MD, graduated from UCSF Medical School in 2008, during which he completed a Howard Hugh Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in laboratory of Sam Hwang, MD, PhD studying skin inflammation and immunology. He subsequently completed a residency in Dermatology at Washington University in St. Louis in 2012, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship studying skin resident T cells in the laboratory of Rachael Clark, MD, PhD at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 2014, he assumed the role as Director of the Vitiligo Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has been involved with investigator initiated trials, clinical, and epidemiologic research focusing on vitiligo. He also completed a year-long mentorship program through the American Academy of Dermatology working with Amit Pandya, MD, in 2018. He has lectured nationally on the topic of vitiligo and maintains and interest in developing meaningful outcome measures of patients affected by this disease. Since 2018, Dr. Huang has established a vitiligo specialty clinic in the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, Davis.
The standard of care for vitiligo includes topical immune modulators including topical steroids and calcineurin inhibitors, UV-based phototherapy, and systemic immune modulators. These agents inhibit the autoimmune inflammatory response in the skin. In the case of UV-based phototherapy, the therapy is thought to stimulate melanogenesis and repigmentation as well. The repigmentation process occurs over the course of months to years. Second line treatments include surgical approaches designed to transplant autologous viable melanocytes to depigmented areas. There have been several advances in recent years with regards to understanding the underlying immunologic pathogenesis of vitiligo leading to promising new targeted immune modulating therapies.
Editors
Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi is a dermatologist who works at Henry Ford Hospital and Hamzavi/Dermatology Specialists. His work has a focus on vitiligo, photomedicine, and hidradenitis suppurativa. Within vitiligo his work has focused on improving phototherapy options for vitiligo patients. His group has also led North American efforts in developing surgical treatments for vitiligo. He has participated in developing the VASI score and updated scores as a way to measure treatment response for vitiligo patients. He is also one of the founders and Co-chair of the Global Vitiligo Foundation. This is a group which aims to improve the lives of vitiligo patients by supporting initiatives like the World Vitiligo Day and vitiligo research updates. He is a passionate metro Detroiter, husband, and father of 3.
