Exploring New Pathways in Atopic Dermatitis

“We already have therapies available targeting interleukin 4 and 13 coming up, as well as interleukin 31, so I was asked to talk about other new areas. My talk will explore biologic agents, and we'll look at both innate and adaptive immune targets. For the innate, we'll be talking about some of the alarmins that have been targeted, TSLP, interleukin 33 and its receptor, as well as OX40, OX40 ligand, and interleukin 22 and its receptor that has also been explored for atopic dermatitis,” said Melinda Gooderham, MSc, MD, FRCPC, in an interview at the Revolutionizing Alopecia Areata, Vitiligo, and Eczema conference in Chicago, Illinois. Gooderham, medical director at the SKiN Centre for Dermatology in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, presented “New Pathways Being Explored in Atopic Dermatitis.”

In her presentation, Gooderham also discussed the idea of the modification of T regulatory cells and increasing the activity and number of T regulatory cells to better target or enhance the regulatory immunobalance of the skin.

“What's important about my session is looking at some of the new targets, some of which have failed, and we have learned from that, and then other new targets that I think are more promising because of the potential of remission or disease modification,” said Gooderham.

When discussing new therapeutics for atopic dermatitis and what’s in the pipeline, Gooderham noted that she finds the durability of response in some of these new targets very interesting, even while patients are off of therapy.

“You may think about it as remission or possibly disease modification, but with the OX40 and OX40 ligand and the T regulatory agents, there seems to be a duration of response. So, after the therapy is stopped, patients are maintaining clear skin for weeks to months afterward,” said Gooderham.

Gooderham addressed the importance of the idea of remission or disease modification, specifically as an unmet need for patients who might want to be on a treatment that could have an eventual treatment holiday or stop the therapy long-term while still maintaining their response.

“I think that will make a huge difference in the future for our patients,” concluded Gooderham.

Reference

Gooderham M. New pathways being explored in atopic dermatitis. Presented at: 2024 Revolutionizing Alopecia Areata, Vitiligo, and Eczema Conference; June 8-10, 2024; Chicago, IL.