Dermatology and Skin Diseases

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition driven by a breakdown in the epithelial barrier, immune dysregulation, and microbial imbalance, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide and often serving as the first step in a progression toward asthma and food allergy. Mutations in filaggrin, a protein essential for holding the skin barrier together, allow allergens and bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus to penetrate the epidermis, triggering a cascade of immune signals—including the cytokine TSLP—that sustain the characteristic itch and inflammation. The approval of dupilumab, which blocks key inflammatory pathways, has validated the underlying biology and transformed treatment for many patients, yet a substantial number still respond incompletely, pointing to how much remains unknown about the interplay between the skin microbiome and host immunity. Current research is working to clarify why barrier defects and immune skewing arise in the first place, and whether restoring microbial diversity or targeting additional immune mediators could offer more durable relief.

Works

100,815

Total citations

1,439,960

Keywords

FilaggrinSkin MicrobiomeTSLPEczemaImmune DysregulationPruritus