Precision Vitiligo Immunotherapy via Nanocarrier-Enabled Microneedles
Grantee: Georgios Sotiriou, Professor, Stockholm University, Sweden
Amount: DKK 4,000,000
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2026
Geography: Sweden
Vitiligo is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks pigment-producing skin cells, causing white patches. While powerful new drugs called biologics can stop this, taking them via whole-body injections causes severe side effects. Since vitiligo is localized to the skin, treating the whole body is risky. However, these fragile drugs cannot easily cross the skin’s tough barrier on their own.
We are solving this by developing a painless “”smart patch”” covered in dissolving microneedles. To protect the delicate biologic drugs, we first pack them into tiny nanocarriers made from a natural mineral. These protected drugs are then embedded into the microneedles. When applied to the affected skin, the needles painlessly penetrate and dissolve, releasing the medicine exactly where the immune cells are misbehaving.
This project aims to provide a safe, highly effective way to halt vitiligo locally, without shutting down the patient’s entire immune system.