A team led by the University of Exeter, and including researchers from King's College London, has been awarded a £3.3 million grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to study how fungi that live on the skin can trigger the development of eczema.
The new five-year research programme, which brings together experts in immunology, fungal biology and dermatology from the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) in Exeter and St John's Institute of Dermatology at King's, could lead to the development of new treatment strategies for the skin condition.
The project is led by Professor Salomé LeibundGut-Landmann of the MRC CMM in Exeter, with three project co-leads: Professor Carsten Flohr and Dr Helen Alexander from King's, and Professor Neil Gow from the University of Exeter.
St John's Institute of Dermatology is delighted to be working with the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology to better understand the cross-talk between fungi and the skin immune system in the commonest skin disease, atopic dermatitis.
Professor Carsten Flohr, project co-lead and Chair in Dermatology and Population Health Sciences at King's College London.
Eczema, also known as atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis, has the highest burden of all skin diseases worldwide and affects around one in five children and one in ten adults. Symptoms include itchy, inflamed skin resulting in chronic sleep disruption. There is a close link with food and respiratory allergies as well as anxiety, depression and social withdrawal. Despite advances in treatment there is still no cure, and current medications do not work for everyone.
One key feature of eczema is that the skin becomes more sensitive and easily irritated by substances that are normally harmless, including some of the natural microorganisms that live on our skin. One such group is Malassezia, a type of fungus that naturally lives on everyone's skin and may act as a trigger of eczema. In people with eczema, the body's immune system may mistakenly react to Malassezia, contributing to inflammation and worsening symptoms.
The study will explore how Malassezia strains interact with the immune system and might play a role in eczema. The researchers have three main aims:
- Understand how the body normally keeps Malassezia in check.
- Identify what changes in the fungus or the immune system may lead to allergic reactions directed against Malassezia in eczema.
- Investigate whether adjusting the skin's fungal community could help improve treatment, especially in hard-to-treat eczema cases.
By studying fungal samples from eczema patients and using experimental models, the team hopes to uncover new ways to treat or even prevent eczema by focusing on the fungus-host relationship. This could lead to more personalised, effective treatments and better outcomes for people living with this challenging skin condition.
We are thrilled to have been awarded this substantial research grant to advance the understanding of how fungi drive eczema, a very common and disabling skin disease. The close collaboration between clinicians and basic researchers fosters an interdisciplinary approach to identify the mechanisms of disease with direct translational implications for the patients.
Professor Salomé LeibundGut-Landmann, project lead and Professor for Fungal Mycology at the MRC CMM, University of Exeter.
