Skin cell atlas sheds light on how psoriasis and eczema develop

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Skin Cell Atlas sheds light on how psoriasis and eczema develop and could lead to new treatments

  • Researchers have created an ‘atlas’ that looks at 50,000 different skin cells
  • Identified the cellular mechanisms that cause chronic skin conditions
  • Many found are the same as in healthy cells and I hope that the database and discovery make it possible to develop future therapies

By PA Media and Joe Pinkstone for Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

British scientists have discovered how chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema develop.

Researchers at the University of Newcastle found that eczema and psoriasis skin cells share many of the cellular mechanisms in the development of healthy skin cells.

The team said the findings, published in the journal Science, could help develop new drugs that target inflammatory skin conditions.

University of Newcastle researchers found that eczema and psoriasis skin cells share many of the cellular mechanisms in developing healthy skin cells

University of Newcastle researchers found that eczema and psoriasis skin cells share many of the cellular mechanisms in developing healthy skin cells

Psoriasis, which affects about 2% of people in the UK, is caused by increased skin cell production.

While the process is not fully understood, the condition is believed to be related to a problem with the immune system.

Eczema, which causes the skin to itch, dry and crack, is more common in children but can improve with age.

There are no treatments for the conditions, and treatments can only relieve the symptoms.

Scientists have created a detailed map of human skin as part of the Human Cell Atlas global effort to map every cell type in the human body.

They looked at how cells develop in healthy skin and in the skin of patients with eczema and psoriasis.

Psoriasis, which affects about 2% of people in the UK, is caused by increased skin cell production. While the process is not fully understood, the condition is believed to be related to a problem with the immune system

Psoriasis, which affects about 2% of people in the UK, is caused by increased skin cell production. While the process is not fully understood, the condition is believed to be related to a problem with the immune system

Face masks can trigger attacks of ECZEMA in people with sensitive skin and allergies, the study warns

People with sensitive skin may be at risk for eczema flare-ups caused by wearing a face mask.

Medics reveal that a 60-year-old man with a history of various skin allergies contracted a bout of dermatitis caused by his mask.

After initially struggling to identify the cause of the problem, doctors realized it was the elastic bands of his face mask that were the cause.

The patient was diagnosed with a case of contact dermatitis, a form of eczema triggered by a reaction to a substance or material.

The American man was medicated with prednisone, a regular anti-allergy drug, before the mask problem was noticed.

But this did not work and the man later returned to his doctors with the problem.

After it was determined that the location on the face was in the same place as a mask, the doctors speculated that the form of PPE was to blame.

Analysis of more than 500,000 skin cells revealed that diseased cells shared many of the same molecular pathways as developing cells.

Professor Muzlifah Haniffa, co-senior author from Newcastle University and Associate Faculty of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: ‘This skin cell atlas reveals specific molecular signals sent by healthy developing skin to invoke immune cells and form a protective layer.

“We were amazed to see that eczema and psoriasis skin cells sent the same molecular signals, which could over-activate immune cells and cause the disease.

‘This had never been seen before. Discovering that evolving cell pathways are resurfacing is a quantum leap in our understanding of inflammatory skin conditions and opens up new routes for finding treatments. ‘

The researchers said their study also opens new avenues for research into other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease and could have “ big implications ” for regenerative medicine, especially for burn victims.

Professor Fiona Watt, co-senior author of Kings College London, said: ‘There have been decades of research on skin cells grown in the laboratory.

However, it is not always clear how the properties of the cells change in the laboratory environment.

“By revealing the detailed composition of cells immediately after isolation from the developing and mature human skin, this skin cell atlas can serve as a template for researchers trying to reconstruct healthy skin in regenerative medicine.”

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