Plasma Proteome-Driven Identification of Druggable Immune Regulators of Alopecia Areata, Validated by Transcriptome and Single-Cell Mapping

The study identifies druggable immune regulators for alopecia areata (AA) using a proteome-anchored multi-omics framework, revealing 206 and 169 AA-associated proteins. Key immune regulators highlighted include CD28, GZMB, and CD1C, which are linked to local inflammation in AA lesions. The research suggests that targeting CD28 with belatacept, a CD28-blocking biologic, could be an effective treatment with a favorable safety profile. This approach offers a generalizable strategy for discovering autoimmune targets, providing potential therapeutic avenues for AA, an autoimmune hair-loss disorder.