‘Atlas’ of skin cells sheds light on how psoriasis and eczema develop

‘Atlas’ of skin cells sheds light on how psoriasis and eczema develop

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Velasatlas sheds light on how psoriasis and eczema develop and can lead to new treatments

  • Researchers have created an ‘atlas’ that looks at 50,000 different skin cells
  • Identify the cellular mechanisms that cause chronic skin conditions
  • Found many are the same as in healthy cells and hope that the database and discovery will 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 from the University of Newcastle have found skin cells with eczema and psoriasis share many of the cellular mechanisms other than the development of healthy skin cells.

The team said the findings, published in the journal Science, could help develop new drugs aimed at inflammatory skin disease.

Researchers from the University of Newcastle have found skin cells with eczema and psoriasis share many of the cellular mechanisms other than the development of healthy skin cells.

Researchers from the University of Newcastle have found skin cells with eczema and psoriasis share many of the cellular mechanisms other than the development of healthy skin cells.

Psoriasis, which affects about two per cent of people in the UK, is caused by increased skin cell production.

Although the process is not fully understood, the condition is thought 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 it can improve as they get older.

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

Scientists have made a detailed map of human skin as part of the global effort to map every cell in the human body.

They looked at how cells develop in healthy skin as well as skin of eczema and psoriasis patients.

Psoriasis, which affects about two per cent of people in the UK, is caused by increased skin cell production. Although the process is not fully understood, the condition is thought to be related to a problem with the immune system

Psoriasis, which affects about two per cent of people in the UK, is caused by increased skin cell production. Although the process is not fully understood, the condition is thought to be related to a problem with the immune system

Face masks can cause ECZEMA attacks in people with sensitive skin and allergies, warns study

People with sensitive skin may be at risk of developing eczema due to a face mask.

Medici reveals that a 60-year-old man with a history of multiple skin allergies had an attack of dermatitis caused by his mask.

After doctors initially struggled to diagnose the root of the problem, they realized that it was the elastic bands of his face mask.

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

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

But it was ineffective and the man later returned to his doctors with the problem.

After the location on the face was in the same place where a mask sits, the doctors speculated that the form of PPE could be to blame.

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

Professor Muzlifah Haniffa, co-senior author at the University of Newcastle and an associate professor at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: ‘This skin atlas reveals specific molecular signals sent by healthy developing skin to elicit immune cells and’ to form a protective layer.

‘We were surprised to see that eczema and psoriasis skin cells send the same molecular signals, which can over-activate immune cells and cause the disease.

‘It’s never been seen before. Discovering that self-development is re-emerging is a major leap in our understanding of inflammatory skin diseases and offers new ways to find treatments. ‘

The researchers said their study also offers new ways of researching other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and that it could have ‘major consequences’ for regenerative medicine, especially for burns.

Professor Fiona Watt, co-senior writer at Kings College London, said: ‘Skin cells have been researched in the laboratory for decades.

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

“By revealing the detailed composition of cells immediately when isolated from developing and mature human skin, this Skin Cell Atlas can serve as an example for researchers trying to reconstruct healthy skin in regenerative medicine.”

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