The Science of Atopic Dermatitis With Anna De Benedetto, MD

One of the popular topics discussed at the 2023 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis conference was new insights and research in atopic dermatitis and management. During the “New Insights in Atopic Dermatitis” mini-symposium, Anna De Benedetto, MD, associate professor of dermatology and the director of the clinical trials unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center, discussed what’s new in the therapeutics and pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

Transcript

Anna De Benedetto, MD: My name is Anna De Benedetto, I'm a dermatologist at the University of Rochester in New York. This is a very exciting time for atopic dermatitis both on the therapeutic side and on our ability to understand a little bit more on the pathogenesis. I think the real highlights of the science part of atopic dermatitis is then now we know more about it. We understand that maybe not all the patients are the same. And although there is a lot in common, there is a lot of commonality, most likely, each subgroup of patients has some kind of difference either at the immunological level, at the skin barrier level, or maybe at the microbial level. So, we'll be interested as we continue to learn more and more and as we are, the more sophisticated method will be interesting to learn, really which patients have a specific molecular phenotype and endotype, and then means what treatment will serve them best. This is definitely a very fast-moving time for the science of atopic dermatitis. There are a lot of new information that we continue to learn as we expand and as we use the new tools on the technology side. I think it will be really interesting in the next few years, maybe not too long, for us to be able in the clinic to clearly identify, what are the main points or greater characteristics of our patients.

Dermatology Times®: What have you enjoyed about RAD so far as a smaller, more focused conference?

Benedetto: Yeah, this is the first time for me as well, so I agree, it's a little bit [of a]different conference compared to others, but the fact that there are a lot of experts in the area and their expertise is a little bit different. It goes from clinical treatment to more pathophysiology to larger clinical trials, and more clinical trials, it's really nice. We have pediatric dermatology and allergy with interests in atopic dermatitis. I really think the input from everyone has been really interesting and to learn from everyone

[Transcript edited for clarity]