Clinuvel, the company developing a new drug for vitiligo has published another press release. I've had the chance to ask Lacian Hay, Head of Clinuvel's Global Network and Communications a few questions not covered in the original text of the press release but of practical importance to vitiligo patients. How will the injections be administered: in the dermatologist's office or will treatment kits be available in pharmacies (for home use)? SCENESSE® is expected to be released as a prescription only medication administered by a trained healthcare professional. In the treatment of non-segmental vitiligo with Scenesse, will periodic treatment sessions be necessary ? The company cannot comment on the treatment regime with SCENESSE® in vitiligo until trials have conducted. What's the estimated release price? The company has not released an expected price for SCENESSE®, excepting to say that when initially released SCENESSE® will be priced as an orphan drug. I can’t provide further details at present. Original press release text: Recently, the Australian company Clinuvel announced that it would commence a clinical trial of a new drug for vitiligo. The company has received a large number of questions related to its proposed trial and has released this Q&A to help people understand the potential, and potential limitations, of its program.

We went around online shops selling UVB lamps and scouted prices for hand-held units. As you can see prices vary depending on the producer/design/and functions. 

A new drug called Scenesse is being developed and tested by Clinuvel, an Australian company. Currently it is in phase II and III of clinical trials. Clinuvel states that it's product will be an effective therapy in nonsegmental vitiligo (symmetry in the vitiligo spots on one's body). A clear date for it's commercial release is not yet known. How does it work ? The drug consists of a 16mg subcutaneous implant, meant to deliver the active substance (afamelanotide) where it is injected. The implant is the size of a rice grain and once injected, it auto-dissolves, stimulating pigment cells to produce melanin, the dark brown pigment responsible for skin coloration. It's producers say that increased pigmentation appears after two days and lasts up to two months. This could involve periodic treatment sessions for patients with vitiligo. When will it be available ? Hard to tell. In phase II of clinical trials, drugs and treatments are tested on large number of people in order to assess their safety. Data is recorded in rating scales during this stage. Phase III involves testing on even more people. In this stage, researchers will look closely at the drug's effectiveness and safety in usage. After this phase, most drugs are considered FDA approved. MORE INFO: http://clinuvel.com/scenesse

There's been a lot of dispute whether Michael Jackson really bleached his skin or he was just a vitiligo sufferer who's disease took a turn for the worse. Michael has always claimed that it has been the disease that was responsible for his color change, rising a lot of criticism and drawing a lot of unwanted attention towards him and his family.Michael has 3 children:  Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and Blanket, 8. Armpit spots 1 Armpit spots 2 Recently I came across a few pictures of Michael's older son, Prince, that apparently has inherited his father's disease. The boy, aged 13 shows a depigmentation under his arm, a common place for vitiligo spots to occur. If indeed the boy suffers from vitiligo, this puts two rumors to rest: that Prince isn't really Michael's son and that Michael bleached his skin because of his obsession to become white.

The team here at Vitiligozone configured a search filter for the ClinicalTrials.gov website that outputs all the clinical trials recruiting vitiligo patients. ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world.  Clinical trials are tests designed to determine efficiency and safety of new medicine in patients. Clinical research relies on patients wanting to get involved in the system. Of course there are some risks but with the strict regulations governing any ongoing trial, chances of side-effects are controlled and minimal. Recruiting vitiligo trials

There comes a time in the life of every vitiligo patient when we ask ourselves: „Will my children develop vitiligo ?” The frequency of vitiligo among siblings is 6.1% which is about 18 times higher then the usual population frequency, suggesting a major genetic component in the disease. The probability that a pair of twins will both have vitiligo is 23% indicating that a non-genetic component also plays a role.  According to a study published in the Pigment Cell Research magazine, vitiligo occurs with a frequency of 0.1 to 2.0% in various populations. The study surveyed a number of 2642 subjects from North America and UK regarding the disease characteristics and familial background. More then 83% of subjects were Caucasian with equal distribution of the disease in both males and females. Subjects with an earlier disease onset were more prone to have relatives with vitiligo. Also, vitiligo patients and their first degree relatives were found to have an elevated frequency of some other autoimmune diseases: vitiligo itself, autoimmune thyroid disease (particularly hypothyroidism), pernicious anemia, Addison's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus. This associations reveal that vitiligo shares the same genetic background as these other autoimmune disorders.

The excimer laser was invented in the 70s and uses a combination of two gases and electrical stimulation to create a laser light in the UV range. Currently, the most widespread therapy for the repigmentation of vitiligo spots  relies on narrow band UV radiation with a wavelength of 311nM (nbUVB), emitted  by a medical light bulb. This light can also be produced using excimer technology, with the advantage of laser’s precision, controlled dosage and good response from the skin. In practice, during a UV treatment session using a UV wand, the patient exposes both vitiligo patches and healthy skin to the light, over time, increasing the contrast between the two. With excimer technology, the light exposure is limited to the treatment area and can be precisely controlled. The laser spot size is 2x2 cm making this therapy appropriate for the treatment of both small and medium sized areas. While conventional UV therapy is time consuming and requires many sessions to see results, excimer reports clearance within 10 treatment sessions. A treatment session also lasts less then conventional UV therapy as the parameter regulated over time is the laser intensity, not the exposure duration. An excimer laser for the treatment of vitiligo is the Xtrac laser produced by Photomedex. More info can be found on their website www.photomedex.com

This year the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milano will host the First World Vitiligo Congress, between 23-24 September. Some of the known speakers will be: Prof. Raymond E. Boissy - involved in studying vitiligo and pigment cell biology. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH - USA Prof. Richard A. Spritz - VitGene consortium project, aimed to identify susceptibility genes for generalized vitiligo.  University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO - USA There will be a Patient day, organized by ARIV, a patient-driven, non-profit organization based in Italy, representing the interest of those affected by vitiligo. Also patients and visitors can participate in the scientific sessions held on the 23rd and 24th for a registration fee of 168 € ( around 241 $) Here is their official welcoming address: Dear Friends, It is a great honor and pleasure for me to chair the FIRST VITILIGO WORLD CONGRESS to be held on September 23-24, 2010 at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milano.

Following the large interest triggered by the first stem cell article, we are now able to provide an update from the researchers at the Royan Institute in Iran. Dr. Nasser Aghdami, the head of regenerative medicine department has been king enough to answer some of our questions. Q1: Mr. Aghdami, what is your role at the Royan Institute and your experience in stem cell biology? I am a specialist in immunology (MD, PhD) and working at the Royan institute as the head of regenerative medicine department and Royan Cell Therapy Center. Royan Cell Therapy Center was established in January 2009 for clinical trials in the cell and stem cell therapy field. Our site in Persian is located at www.RCTC.ir and we are going to translate it to English and Arabic soon. Q2: What is the current stage of stem cell research at the Royan Institute? The Royan institute has been established initially for infertile patients. We started our research in the stem cell field 5 years ago and by now we've established 5 different cell lines for embryonic stem cells with good facilities for stem cell differentiation. In 2008, iPS technology (induced pluripotent stem cells) has been set up in the stem cell department of the Royan institute.

Pigment cells are present in the inner ear and play a vasomotor function. Melanin,  a compound secreted by pigment cells facilitates the passage of substances from one side to the other of the inner ear and helps maintain cell membrane equilibrium. Some studies have shown that the auditory function was decreased in patients with pigment disorders such as vitiligo, especially in the high frequency range. The loss of pigment cells that occurs in vitiligo can decrease the cochlear health. (Note. The cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear) Audiometry testing has shown that 12% of subjects enrolled in a study experience some type of hearing loss, regardless of sex, age and type of vitiligo. The loss occurs in the range of 4000-8000Hz and is bilateral (on both ears) As vitiligo patients are predisposed to hearing dysfunctions it is recommended to undergo routine monitoring and audiological assessments by specialists for early identification and treatment. It's not just the ears that can be affected by vitiligo. Damage from this disorder can also occur within the eye, these manifestations being attributed to abnormalities of the retinal pigment and uveitis. As there still are opinions that vitiligo is a purely cosmetical disorder, these finding reasonably point out that vitiligo is more than a skin disease.