Understanding Autoimmunity in Vitiligo
Official title: Dissecting Functional Autoimmunity through High-Resolution Multiomics in a Vitiligo Center of Research Translation (V-CoRT)
Funded at Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester · NIH-11159454 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to understand how the immune system attacks skin cells in people with vitiligo, causing white patches.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project start | September 12, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,495,911 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AR080593-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11159454 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with vitiligo, particularly those who have provided or may be willing to provide skin samples, are central to this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without vitiligo or other autoimmune conditions would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Vitiligo is a skin condition where the immune system mistakenly destroys cells that make pigment, leading to white spots. This project uses vitiligo as a model to deeply understand how autoimmune diseases develop in human tissues. Researchers are looking closely at skin samples from vitiligo patients to see how immune cells move, talk to other cells, and destroy pigment cells. The goal is to map out the complex network of cells that drive the disease, which could help us understand other autoimmune conditions too.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments for vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases by revealing the exact steps of immune attack.
How similar studies have gone: Vitiligo shares genetic and mechanistic links with other autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, suggesting that insights gained here could be broadly applicable.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
Worcester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Harris, John E — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Harris, John E
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Cell communications and tissue memory in vitiligo
This grant looks at how skin cells talk to each other and how these conversations may drive vitiligo, with the goal of finding new ways to treat or manage the condition.
-
Autoreactive T Cell Function in Vitiligo
A study in people with vitiligo and related models aims to understand how skin-homing T cells drive pigment loss and how this knowledge could lead to better treatments.
-
Understanding why the immune system targets skin in vitiligo and how this causes lasting damage
A research program is studying how immune cells attack pigment cells in the skin of people with vitiligo and what drives this autoimmune process.
-
Understanding why some vitiligo patches repigment while others stay white
This grant studies why certain vitiligo patches repigment in some areas after treatment and why others persist, aiming to make treatments faster and more even.
-
Understanding Cell Communication and Tissue Memory in Vitiligo
This project aims to understand how skin cells communicate and remember past events in people with vitiligo, hoping to find new ways to treat the condition.
-
Understanding T Cells in Vitiligo
This research explores how certain immune cells, called T cells, cause the skin condition vitiligo, which leads to white spots on the skin.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.