Medics aim to scratch out eczema

IRISH medics are to begin developing the first ever cure for eczema after they identified a gene that causes the skin condition.

A team of researchers led by Dr Alan Irvine from Crumlin Children’s Hospital have discovered the gene that produces the protein filaggrin. This forms a protective outer barrier on the skin that keeps bacteria and viruses out while keeping water in to prevent it from drying. The experts found that people who have mutations of this gene develop dry and itchy skin which leads to eczema and, in some cases, asthma.

Dr Irvine said the discovery can now be used to develop more effective therapies to tackle the root causes of eczema rather than simply treating the symptoms.

“At the moment a lot can be done to help with ointments and anti-inflammatory drugs. But now we can fundamentally alter the biology to get it right,” he said.

Dr Irvine is to apply to the relevant funding bodies, seeking money to develop new treatments, which could cost hundreds of millions of euro.

“It will take a very long time to develop a treatment. But at least now we have a live therapeutic target, and something we can aim at for developing a treatment that could be put on the shelves in pharmacies,” he said.

The research, to be published in the journal Nature Genetics, was undertaken in Dublin, Glasgow, Seattle and Copenhagen.

It found that about one in 10 Europeans have mutations of the gene resulting in the uncomfortable condition. About 400,000 Irish people produce just half the filaggrin needed for healthy skin and about 8,000 have no filaggrin at all.

Dr Irvine said eczema can have dramatic effects on the life style of a child: “In questions about quality of life put to young people with chronic illnesses, eczema rated worse than epilepsy and asthma. It limits their ability to play with friends, it makes it harder to concentrate in school and it makes it harder to sleep.”

Professor Irwin McClean from County Antrim was also involved in the research. He said: “We see this as the dawn of a new era in the understanding and treatment of eczema and the type of asthma that goes with it.

Prof McClean said: “If you imagine the disease as a burning building, up until now we’ve just been throwing buckets of water on the roof. But now we know exactly where the fire is underneath and we can put the hoses in there and hopefully tackle the cause of the problem properly.”