Book Description
Cutaneous inflammation, particularly for chronic inflammatory diseases such as eczema and psoriasis are traditionally treated with corticosteroids to control ongoing inflammation. However, prolonged usage of steroids can lead to various side-effects such as thinning of skin, stretch marks or easy bruising. Prolonged suppression of the immune system may also result in secondary infections, driving more inflammation. Next-generation targeted immunological therapies can thus provide an alternative way for us to treat cutaneous inflammation in a more precise manner; these therapies are often wide-ranging in nature, encompassing biologics, small-molecule inhibitors or RNA therapeutics. Through this research topic, we hope to highlight recent developments in understanding dysregulations in the cutaneous immune system with a special focus on dermatitis, and how this knowledge informs development of next-generation targeted therapies. We are especially interested in methods and models for assessing therapeutic efficacy; drug delivery and formulation methods circumventing the epithelial barrier and maintaining molecule stability. Concurrently, we hope to highlight outstanding gaps in the field currently that may require further therapeutic development.