Breaking immunological tolerance to melanocyte differentiation antigens by hypopigmenting agents: a new means for melanoma immunotherapy?

The hypopigmenting agent monobenzone induces inflammatory responses only in pigmented skin as well as depigmentation in areas not directly exposed to the drug. Both observations have been ascribed to the possible induction of adaptive immune responses against melanocytes. In this issue, van den Boorn et al. provide direct evidence confirming this hypothesis. Since the monobenzone-induced immune responses target melanocyte-differentiation antigens, this report opens the opportunity for a simple and instantaneous deployable immunotherapy of melanoma.