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Changes in Skin Color: Clinical Perspectives

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The first thing a clinician sees is the skin, so the examination of the skin should be part of any thorough physical examination. Most skin disorders are relatively benign, but a few, including melanomas, can be fatal if untreated. A couple of the more noticeable disorders, albinism and vitiligo, affect the appearance of the skin and its accessory organs.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes

Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes

Published on: August 27, 2021

Vitiligo Information Resource database v3.

Abhishek Sengupta¹, Vishal Singh¹, Muskan Syed¹

¹Systems Biology and Data Analytics Research Laboratory, Centre for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India.

NPJ Systems Biology and Applications

|June 22, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

VIRdb v3.0 is a new database for vitiligo research, integrating gene expression and drug data to uncover molecular insights and potential treatments for this autoimmune skin disease.

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A New Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Hair Loss in Mice Using Grayscale Analysis

A New Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Hair Loss in Mice Using Grayscale Analysis

Published on: March 9, 2015

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Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes

Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Melanocytes

Published on: August 27, 2021

A New Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Hair Loss in Mice Using Grayscale Analysis

A New Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Hair Loss in Mice Using Grayscale Analysis

Published on: March 9, 2015

Area of Science:

Dermatology
Bioinformatics
Systems Biology

Background:

Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease causing melanocyte loss, with poorly understood molecular mechanisms.
Existing research lacks a specialized systems biology interface for comprehensive vitiligo analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce VIRdb v3.0, an enhanced integrative database for vitiligo systems biology.
To provide tools for exploring transcriptomics, protein interactions, and therapeutic targets in vitiligo.

Main Methods:

Integrated curated transcriptomics data and differentially expressed genes.
Developed a protein-protein interaction network and a library of natural compounds and FDA-approved drugs.
Implemented pathway enrichment, molecular docking, and cross-disease comparisons.
Redeveloped the backend using Django for scalability and real-time data integration.

Main Results:

VIRdb v3.0 supports z-score normalization and multi-gene pathway enrichment queries.
The platform enables comparative gene-gene interaction network analysis for vitiligo and comorbid autoimmune conditions.
Facilitated identification of shared molecular signatures across autoimmune disorders.

Conclusions:

VIRdb v3.0 advances vitiligo systems biology by enabling hypothesis generation and biomarker discovery.
The database supports therapeutic exploration for vitiligo and related autoimmune conditions.
VIRdb v3.0 is freely accessible, promoting collaborative research in vitiligo.