2023/10/20
RIKEN
Keio University School of Medicine
Osaka University
A joint research group—including Researcher Aiko Sekita, Senior Scientist Hiroshi Kawasaki, and Team Leader Akihiko Koseki of the Laboratory for Organismal Patterning; Team Leader Masayuki Amagai of the Laboratory for Skin Homeostasis (Professor, Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine); and Team Leader Yukinori Okada of the Laboratory for Systems Genetics (Professor of Statistical Genetics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine) at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences—has identified differences in the pathophysiology associated with multiple traits in patients with atopic dermatitis.
These research findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of pathophysiological diversity and patient stratification for personalized medicine for patients with atopic dermatitis.
In this study, the joint research group analyzed gene expression in skin tissue and blood from 115 patients with atopic dermatitis and 14 healthy individuals, and investigated in detail the gene expression patterns related to the characteristic skin lesions of atopic dermatitis. By analyzing the relationship with gene expression, focusing on the skin lesion characteristics of erythema and papules, the results revealed that different molecular pathologies underlie the diverse skin symptoms that have been collectively categorized as atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, by analyzing time-series blood data from 30 patients over one year, the group demonstrated that patterns of disease activity, such as remission and exacerbation, are associated with patterns of gene expression fluctuation, and that this reflects the patients' treatment histories.
This research was published in the online edition of the scientific journal "Nature Communications" on October 2.
Please see below for the full press release.