💇 JAK Inhibitor Alopecia Areata Treatment Simulator

CD8+ T-Cells Breach Hair Follicle Immune Privilege

Placeholder: T-cells infiltrate the bulb and disrupt privilege.

• Collapsed: Immune privilege status (placeholder short caption)
• Elevated: CD8+ NKG2D+ T-cells (placeholder short caption)
• Upregulated: MHC class I exposure (placeholder short caption)
• Patchy: Affected scalp area (placeholder short caption)

Follicle immune privilege collapse

Placeholder: privilege signals fail, T-cells recognize the bulb.

Placeholder highlight: attack begins at the anagen bulb.

CD8+ T-cell recruitment

Placeholder: cytotoxic T-cells cluster densely around the follicle.

Interferon-Gamma Fuels the JAK1/JAK2–STAT Amplification Loop

Placeholder: IFN-gamma triggers a self-reinforcing signaling loop.

• IFN-γ: Key cytokine (placeholder short caption)
• JAK1 / JAK2: Kinases engaged (placeholder short caption)
• STAT1: Transcription factor (placeholder short caption)
• Self-amplifying: Loop behavior (placeholder short caption)

Receptor to kinase signaling

Placeholder: IFN-gamma receptor activates paired JAK kinases.

STAT dimerization and nucleus entry

Placeholder: phosphorylated STAT dimers drive chemokine gene transcription.

Placeholder highlight: chemokines recruit even more T-cells.

JAK Inhibitor Docks Into the Kinase ATP-Binding Pocket

Placeholder: small-molecule inhibitor blocks JAK enzyme activity.

• Baricitinib / Ritlecitinib: Example drugs (placeholder short caption)
• JAK ATP pocket: Target site (placeholder short caption)
• Oral, daily: Route (placeholder short caption)
• Weeks: Onset of effect (placeholder short caption)

Competitive kinase inhibition

Placeholder: inhibitor outcompetes ATP at the catalytic site.

Dose-dependent pathway blockade

Placeholder: higher dose suppresses more JAK-STAT signaling.

Interferon-Gamma Signaling Halts, Attack Subsides

Placeholder: broken loop lets follicle immune privilege recover.

• Suppressed: STAT phosphorylation (placeholder short caption)
• Falling: Chemokine output (placeholder short caption)
• Declining: T-cell density (placeholder short caption)
• Re-expressing: Privilege markers (placeholder short caption)

Chemokine withdrawal

Placeholder: fewer signals mean fewer recruited T-cells arrive.

Privilege marker re-expression

Placeholder: bulb regains immune-suppressive signaling molecules.

Placeholder highlight: follicle re-enters a normal growth cycle.

Hair Regrowth Over Months — and the Need for Maintenance Therapy

Placeholder: bald patches regrow gradually across months of dosing.

• ~3 months: Visible regrowth onset (placeholder short caption)
• ~6–12 months: Substantial regrowth (placeholder short caption)
• Common: Relapse if stopped (placeholder short caption)
• Ongoing: Therapy duration (placeholder short caption)

Follicle cycle re-entry

Placeholder: dormant follicles re-enter anagen growth phase.

Why therapy must continue

Placeholder: stopping treatment risks the attack resuming.

Placeholder highlight: maintenance dosing sustains regrowth long-term.