- Francis Lai, MBBS, FACD, 2023 IPC Fellow
- Congress Reports, Comorbidities, Disease Severity, Genetics, Pathophysiology, & Epidemiology, Research, Treatment
The 53rd Annual European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) Meeting was held in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 4 to 7, 2024. The in-person meeting provided a stimulating milieu sharing the latest in investigative dermatology. The following congress report includes a summary of 18 lectures on psoriasis throughout the congress, including a summary of the sessions from the joint International Eczema Council (IEC) and International Psoriasis Council (IPC) Symposium: From Comparative Pathogenesis to Biomarker-guided Treatments in Psoriasis and Eczema. Download the full ESDR Report or read on for highlights.
IEC & IPC Symposium: From Comparative Pathogenesis to Biomarker-guided Treatments in Psoriasis and Eczema
- Johann Gudjonsson, MD, PhD, IPC Board Member, presented “The Comparative Pathogenesis of Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis” and compared the genetic and immunological differences between psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD). Dr. Gudjonsson found distinct and opposing immune profiles. However, plasticity is seen in the emergence of paradoxical treatment reactions.
- Michel Gilliet, MD, IPC Councilor, presented “Immune Phenotype Switching,” discussing the concept of molecular disease cartography and its utility for diagnosis and treatment. He highlighted examples of immune switching and emphasized the importance of targeting both the immune shift and the underlying disease.
- IEC Councilor Sara Brown, MBChB, MD, presented “Genetic and Ethnic Differences in Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis.” Dr. Brown highlighted the ethnic differences between psoriasis and AD in terms of phenotype, epidemiology, genetics, and treatment responses.
- Satveer Mahil, PhD, IPC Councilor, presented “Using Biomarkers to Inform the Treatment of Psoriasis.” Dr. Mahil discussed the potential of precision medicine in psoriasis care using biomarkers. While a biomarker for clinical practice is currently lacking, Dr. Mahil highlighted examples such as early adalimumab serum levels and polygenic risk scores as a guide for treatment decisions.
- Catherine Smith, PhD, IPC Board Member, presented “Using Biomarkers to Assess the Risk of Comorbidities in Psoriasis.” She discussed the current landscape and the importance of biomarkers in predicting psoriasis comorbidities. The use of risk prediction tools and known clinical predictors in the psoriasis population may better identify the “at risk” comorbid population.
- IEC Councilors Marjolein de Bruin-Weller, MD, PhD, and Christian Vestergaard, MD, PhD, DMSc, presented lectures on using biomarkers in AD. Dr. de Bruin-Welle discussed the challenges in finding biomarkers predictive of treatment response and severity, highlighting TARC as a promising candidate. Dr. Vestergaard emphasized the need for reliable biomarkers and suggested exploring alternative options such as sleep, patient-reported outcomes, and digital biomarkers.
Symposium Poster Presentations:
- Ana Rebane, MD, presented “Epigenetic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Skin Homing CLA+ CD4+ T-Cells in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis.” The study found distinct signaling pathways associated with CLA+ CD4+ T cells in psoriasis and AD.
- 2024 IPC Fellow Alison Treichel, MD, presented “Protective Effects of Systemic Therapies for Psoriasis Against Thrombotic Events.” The study found biologic therapies were associated with a lower thrombotic risk than matched topical corticosteroid controls.
- Ryan O’Shaughnessy, MD, presented “Reduced Filaggrin Expression Reduces ERK Signalling and Disrupts Desmosomes in Atopic Eczema.” The study found that filaggrin deficiency in AD leads to increased BMP signaling, reduced ERK/p38 MAPK signaling, and downregulated desmosomal proteins.
- Shir Azrielant, MD, presented “The Effect of Age on the Severity of Psoriasis,” and the findings suggest psoriasis severity decreases with age, becoming more localized, and may be ameliorated by factors such as retirement.
- Sajtos László, MSc, presented “Distinct Trm Cells Characterize Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis.” The study found increased populations of tissue-resident memory (Trm) T cells in both psoriasis and AD but with distinct cytokine profiles.
- Monika Molnarova, MSc, presented “Smart Imaging and Deep Learning for Objective Psoriasis Lesion Scoring: A Scarletred Proof-of-Concept Study.” A proof-of-concept study exploring the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with the classification of psoriasis severity.
ESDR CONGRESS PRESENTATIONS
Neurobiology of the Skin
- Anna Schober, PhD, presented “Psoriasis and Dopamine,” focused on a study investigating the relationship between dopamine expression and alcohol intake in patients with psoriasis. It found correlations between dopamine receptor expression, psoriasis severity, and alcohol consumption.
- Louise Lönndahl, MD, PhD, presented “The Role of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) in Psoriasis” and found increased CGRP expression in psoriatic skin. However, while CGRP was correlated with pruritus, it was not with psoriasis area and severity index (PASI).
BMS Symposium: Genetic Rationale and Clinical Trial Data Supporting TYK2 Inhibition as a Therapeutic Target in Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
- IPC Councilor Tiago Torres, MD, PhD, presented “Clinical Evidence Supporting TYK2 Inhibition as a Target in Psoriasis.” He discussed TYK2, a member of the TYK2/JAK family, and its role in inflammatory pathways of psoriasis. Dr. Torres outlined the efficacy and safety data from pivotal Phase 3 trials. Laure Gossec, MD, PhD, presented “Evolving Therapeutic Landscape and the Role of TYK2 Inhibition as a Target in Psoriatic Arthritis.” Dr. Gossec presented efficacy and safety data from a Phase 2 trial evaluating deucravacitinib for psoriatic arthritis.
Concurrent 3: Clinical Research and Epidemiology
- Charlotte Thomas, MD, presented “Minimizing Drug Exposure in Psoriasis: Development, Validation and Beta Testing of a Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Dashboard” during the concurrent clinical research and epidemiology session. Dr. Thomas described the development of a TDM dashboard and plans to assess its practicality in reducing drug exposure for psoriasis patients on risankizumab.During the same session, Brendon Lutnick, PhD, presented “Remote Assessment of Psoriasis Severity with AI-based Automated Classification.” His study demonstrated the feasibility of using AI to accurately assess psoriasis severity remotely based on patient-acquired images.
For a comprehensive look into the sessions and findings, we encourage you to download the full 2024 ESDR Congress Report.
