In this closing 2025 episode, we unpack four decades of National Institute of Health (NIH) data, compare vitiligo’s budget to other autoimmune and skin diseases, and explain the “industry twist”: tiny public dollars helped build the science, while the commercial market is now booming.

We also look at the big paradox: vitiligo research helped spark major ideas in modern medicine (think immune pathways that later shaped blockbuster therapies), yet the shared infrastructure vitiligo now needs — US-based biobanks, registries, and longitudinal cohorts — remains fragmented. Meanwhile, the commercial side is moving fast, with a billion-dollar market and crowded pipelines.

Read the full report in two parts:

The Vitiligo Paradox – Common Disease, Rare Funding

Who Gets to Do Vitiligo Science?

In this year-end episode, we walk through what VRF built in 2025 — from global advocacy and new research to education, AI support tools, and community partnerships — plus the uncomfortable truths that shaped our priorities for 2026.

Read the full report here: https://vrfoundation.org/news_items/vr-foundation-2025-year-end-report

Vitiligo may show up on your skin, but the drama starts lower down — in your gut, where trillions of microbes run the show. When that microscopic circus gets out of tune, your immune system can lose its mind.

Enter sucralose — that “harmless” fake sugar in your diet soda and protein shake. It tastes sweet, promises zero calories, and might just be quietly gaslighting your gut bacteria. The result? More inflammation, less balance, and a very confused immune system.

In this episode:

• How sucralose messes with your microbiome
• Why that matters if your immune system’s already on edge
• The fine line between calming inflammation and killing defense
• And why “sugar-free” doesn’t mean consequence-free

Your gut’s a garden, not a chemistry set. Sucralose won’t nuke it overnight — but it might slowly evict the good tenants and hand the keys to the troublemakers.

Full story: Sucralose, Your Gut, and Vitiligo – Should We Worry?