A tailored vaccine may hold the key to treating Staphylococcus aureus -driven flares of eczema in children, according to research out of Trinity College Dublin.
“This work has identified an overall pattern of immune suppression associated with infected flares of eczema, which results in the suppression of specific T cells that are vital to help initiate an effective immune response. “Further work is now required to broaden the scope of these results, by expanding to a larger number of people. This will help confirm if the patterns identified are consistent among different age groups, and in sub-groups with greater ethnic diversity.”
-Rachel McLoughlin, Professor in Immunology, Trinity College, Dublin
For the study, researchers compared immune responses between three groups of 93 children aged 0 and 16: eczema and a confirmed S. aureus skin infection, eczema but no S. aureus skin infection, and a healthy group of volunteers.
The researchers uncovered important immune signatures in children with infected flares of eczema, and pinpointing these signatures provides them with specific new targets, which is helpful from a theoretical vaccine design perspective.
They found that the proportions of T cells as well as other biomarkers varied considerably in the different groups. The immune response was impacted in those with infected flares of eczema – with the suppression of some of the important T cells that drive an effective immune response. These findings provide an early blueprint for developing future therapies that could provide targeted effective relief from recurrent flares of eczema, the researchers concluded.
“This work has identified an overall pattern of immune suppression associated with infected flares of eczema, which results in the suppression of specific T cells that are vital to help initiate an effective immune response,” says Rachel McLoughlin, Professor in Immunology at Trinity and senior author on the study in a news release. “Further work is now required to broaden the scope of these results, by expanding to a larger number of people. This will help confirm if the patterns identified are consistent among different age groups, and in sub-groups with greater ethnic diversity.”
“We believe that a more comprehensive understanding of the immune response to this bacteria S. aureus in eczema, has significant potential to revolutionize treatment approaches and make a major translational impact in the management of eczema,” she says.
“There is a real need for new options to treat and prevent infected flares of eczema in children. Current strategies are limited in their success and – even when they do provide relief – the effects may be short-term as symptoms often return,” says study author Julianne Clowry, MD, a Consultant Dermatologist and Visiting Research Fellow at Trinity College. “Although antibiotics are needed in some cases, scientists are trying hard to deliver alternative options due to the growing problems posed by antimicrobial resistance.”
These factors make a tailored vaccine a very attractive target, she says. “It could limit the severity of eczema, lead to better longer-lasting outcomes, and reduce the need for antibiotics – all while also reducing the risk of complications and potentially the development of other atopic diseases, such as hay fever and asthma.”
The new study appears in JCI Insight.
