Clinical Studies

The National Vitiligo Foundation does not endorse or have any responsibility for the following clinical studies. Individuals who participate or volunteer do so of their own accord.

A Phase-II, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial of Simvastatin in Vitiligo

Principle Investigator – John E. Harris, MD, PhD
University of Massachusetts Medical School

We are testing simvastatin, an FDA-approved cholesterol-lowering drug, as a new treatment for vitiligo. Participants in the trial must be males with vitiligo between the ages of 18-64, and not currently taking a statin medication for heart disease. Other criteria apply. The time commitment is 6-7 months total, with monthly visits to check progress and bloodwork. Participation in the trial will be compensated, and parking is free. The trial is conducted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA.

For more information, please contact Celia Hartigan at (508) 856-2800, or email her at UMassVitiligoStudy@gmail.com.

A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study to Examine the Use of Micrografting, Using a Novel Grafting Technique, for the Repigmentation of Vitiligo

Principle Investigator – Alexandra B. Kimball MD, MPH
Massachusetts General Hospital

The Dermatology Clinical Unit for Research Trials is recruiting subjects 18 years of age and older with vitiligo. The purpose is to study the use of micrografting technique in patients with vitiligo.

The study may last up to 24 weeks and requires about 8 study visits. You will receive up to $550 for participating in this study.

Eligibility Criteria - Subject of 18 years of age and older has 3 comparable vitiliginous areas of trunk or extremities (excluding hands) each measuring at least 3cm×3cm in size, with at least 80% depigmentation, and anticipated equal sun exposure. If you are currently taking certain medications for vitiligo, you may not be eligible for this trial. Please consult your doctor. Other restrictions will be explained at the screening visit.

Enrollment Information - For further information about participating in this trial, contact Lynne at (617) 726-5066 or email harvardskinstudies@partners.org.

International Study to Find Vitiligo Genes - URGENT NEED FOR PARTICIPANTS!

Richard A. Spritz, M.D., Professor and Director
Human Medical Genetics Program, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Do you have vitiligo, or have you had it in the past? Or, does someone in your family have vitiligo? If so, would you or they be willing to take part in a major research project on this disease?

We have put together an international team of scientists to find the genes that cause vitiligo. Our goal is to discover the causes of vitiligo, and the other autoimmune diseases that are often associated with it: thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, pernicious anemia, lupus, Addison disease, and adult-onset insulin-dependent diabetes. We are currently focusing both on families in which more than one person has vitiligo or these other diseases and on individual people with vitiligo but no affected relatives. Please give serious consideration to participating. Our long-term goal is to better understand the causes of vitiligo and these related diseases to develop better treatments and even approaches to prevent them altogether.

The first step in participating is to fill out a questionnaire and send it to us via email (as an attachment) or regular mail. The email address and mailing address are contained at the end of the questionnaire. We will then contact respondents that might be appropriate for the study to get further information and arrange for a saliva (spit) sample. We thank you in advance for your help, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Online Health Survey of Patients with Vitiligo

Study Start Date: December 2010
Estimated Study Completion Date: December 2011

Sponsored by Nanette B. Silverberg, MD
Departments of Dermatology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers, New York, NY

Dr. Silverberg is conducting a survey to review medical, genetic, psychological and nutritional factors that may cause or exacerbate vitiligo. Individuals with vitiligo that have been previously diagnosed by a physician are welcome to contribute to this survey. The survey will not include any personal information that may identify you to the public.

To participate in this survey, please click here or paste the following address into your browser (www.surveymonkey.com/s/Online_Adult_Vitiligo_Survey).

To participate in this survey for your child, please click here or paste the following address into your browser (www.surveymonkey.com/s/Online_survey_of_pediatric_patients_with_vitiligo).

Vitiligo Skin Pigment Cell Transplantation Study

W. Lim, M.D., Professor and Director
Multicultural Dermatology Center, Henry Ford Hospital

Skin transplantation can be a very effective treatment option for vitiligo patients with stable disease who have not experienced success from light treatments or application of medicated creams. One particular skin transplantation technique, the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure (MKTP) has been used successfully in Sweden, India and Saudi Arabia for more than 13 years.

In the MKTP, the pigment cells (melanocytes) are taken from a person's normal skin, made into a gel, and then transferred to the vitiligo patches. The melanocytes grow and multiply in this new location and the skin color is restored. Because a gel is transferred instead of a piece of skin, as is done in many other skin transplantation procedures, this procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis and patients can resume most normal activities immediately after the procedure.

We are performing this procedure in the Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) Dermatology Clinic in a clinical trial in order to see if we can achieve the same success that has been experienced in other parts of the world using this technique. We have performed 15 procedures so far and early results are encouraging. This procedure is only appropriate for patients whose vitiligo has not worsened in the past six months. People who develop vitiligo or thick scars (keloids) on parts of the skin which are scratched or cut should not undergo this procedure. Study participants would have to be able to come to the HFH dermatology clinic in Detroit, Michigan 8 times in 7 months. Further study requirements can be discussed by contacting the study doctors.

For more information please contact Dr. Richard Huggins at 313-916-6964 or rhuggin1@hfhs.org

Detroit-Area Vitiligo Genetics Study

W. Lim, M.D., Professor and Director
Multicultural Dermatology Center, Henry Ford Hospital

Though there are many different treatments available for vitiligo, there are none that are effective in all patients. We are performing a study comparing the genes of patients with vitiligo to those without the disorder in order to uncover targets for new treatments.

We will be collecting blood samples from vitiligo patients and healthy adults without the disease. We will perform testing to evaluate the genes that are different between the 2 groups as well as determining what these genes do. We are seeking 500 volunteers with vitiligo and 500 healthy controls for this important study. Participants would have to come to the Henry Ford Hospital Dermatology Clinic in Detroit, Michigan for a single visit and they will be compensated for their time.

For more information please contact Dr. Richard Huggins at 313-916-6964 or rhuggin1@hfhs.org

The Mechanism of Melanocyte Self-Assembly on Biomaterials and the Functional Analysis

Sung-Jan Lin, M.D., Ph.D.
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

For more information please contact Dr. Sung-Jan Lin, M.D., Ph.D. at +886-2-23123456 ext 5323 or jsjl2000tw@yahoo.com.tw

Study Start Date: May 2006
Estimated Study Completion Date: December 2016