2. Academic Validation
  3. Reversal of Alopecia Areata Following Treatment With the JAK1/2 Inhibitor Baricitinib

Reversal of Alopecia Areata Following Treatment With the JAK1/2 Inhibitor Baricitinib

  • EBioMedicine. 2015 Feb 26;2(4):351-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.02.015.
Ali Jabbari 1,  Zhenpeng Dai 1,  Luzhou Xing 2,  Jane E Cerise 1,  Yuval Ramot 3,  Yackov Berkun 4,  Gina A Montealegre Sanchez 5,  Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky 5,  Angela M Christiano 6,  Raphael Clynes 7,  Abraham Zlotogorski 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
  • 2 Department of Pathology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
  • 3 Department of Dermatology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
  • 4 Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
  • 5 Translational Autoinflammatory Disease Section, NIAMS, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  • 6 Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; Department of Genetics & Development, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
  • 7 Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; Department of Pathology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
PMID: 26137574 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.02.015
Abstract

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease resulting in hair loss with devastating psychosocial consequences. Despite its high prevalence, there are no FDA-approved treatments for AA. Prior studies have identified a prominent interferon signature in AA, which signals through JAK molecules.

Methods: A patient with AA was enrolled in a clinical trial to examine the efficacy of baricitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, to treat concomitant CANDLE syndrome. In vivo, preclinical studies were conducted using the C3H/HeJ AA mouse model to assess the mechanism of clinical improvement by baricitinib.

Findings: The patient exhibited a striking improvement of his AA on baricitinib over several months. In vivo studies using the C3H/HeJ mouse model demonstrated a strong correlation between resolution of the interferon signature and clinical improvement during baricitinib treatment.

Interpretation: Baricitinib may be an effective treatment for AA and warrants further investigation in clinical trials.

Keywords

Alopecia areata; Autoimmune disease; Autoinflammatory; Baricitinib; CANDLE syndrome; Gene expression profiling; Interferon gamma; JAK inhibitor.

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