Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes patches of skin to lose pigmentation. The disease is often triggered by physical and emotional stress, resulting in an autoimmune reaction targeting the pigment cells (melanocytes) of the skin.  The loss of melanocytes disrupts the production of melanin resulting in pale lesions that may spread across the body. The disease is progressive, and does to date not have a definite cure.

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Between 35 and 70 million people suffer from vitiligo globally. 10% of the cases are presented in the United States and the European Union. Vitiligo carries a negative societal stigma causing debilitating emotional and financial hardships for patients.

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Temprian Therapeutics addresses vitiligo by injecting a genetically modified DNA plasmid that reverses the debilitating immune response. The drug is systemic, meaning that the treatment impacts lesions across the body. As an autoimmune disease vitiligo is associated with a number of comorbidities such as Hashimoto’s Disease and Alopecia Areata potentially addressable with the proposed platform drug.