Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease of the skin characterized by patchy depigmentation. Current treatments are moderately effective at reversing disease by suppressing autoimmune inflammation in the skin and promoting melanocyte regeneration. Recent basic and translational research studies have significantly improved our understanding of disease pathogenesis, which is now leading to emerging treatment strategies based on targeted therapy. Here we discuss important clinical characteristics of vitiligo, current therapies and their limitations, advances in understanding disease pathogenesis, emerging targeted treatments, and strategies to optimize clinical trials to efficiently and effectively test these new treatments.

白癜风是一种皮肤的自身免疫性疾病，其特征在于斑块状的色素沉着。当前的治疗通过抑制皮肤中的自身免疫炎症和促进黑素细胞再生而在逆转疾病方面具有中等效力。最近的基础研究和转化研究极大地提高了我们对疾病发病机理的理解，现在正导致基于靶向治疗的新兴治疗策略。在这里，我们讨论白癜风的重要临床特征，当前的治疗方法及其局限性，了解疾病发病机制的进展，新兴的靶向治疗方法以及优化临床试验以有效且有效地测试这些新疗法的策略。