Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis or eczema is a common skin condition

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) or eczema, is a dry, itchy, rash-like inflammatory skin disorder that affects up to 20% of the population in developed countries.

AD affects the everyday life of patients and their carers in many ways including loss of sleep, school and work absences, restrictions on clothing, body products, physical activity and low self-esteem.

We lead research into causes and treatments for atopic dermatitis

The National Atopic Dermatitis Programme brings together leading researchers, industry partners and end-users to focus on the underlying causes of AD and to develop novel therapies for treating AD.

Our aim is to improve health outcomes for patients and translate these into improved practices, products and services.

Our research focuses on the following key themes.

Understanding the prevalence and burden of atopic dermatitis in Singapore

We aim to collect comprehensive data on the epidemiology and disease burden of AD in Singapore. This will enable us to build a better understanding of the pathogenesis of Asian AD through a systems biology approach utilising cohort-based studies. To do this we engage with a strong network of clinicians and scientists from both within Singapore and globally to ensure local focus and global significance of our work.

Understanding the causes of atopic dermatitis

We use cutting edge technologies to investigate and characterise the pathogenic mechanisms of Asian AD. We study the skin barrier, skin microbiome, immunology and itch to conduct in-depth clinical and experimental research on AD, with a strong emphasis on translating our results. Given our focus on Asian AD patients, we aim to develop regional significance and therefore appropriate pathophysiologically in vitro AD models and animal models to validate and translate novel findings.

Developing novel technologies to characterise and treat atopic dermatitis

We are developing and validating diagnostic tests to identify skin genetic and functional alterations in AD. We aim to study skin barrier function and the underlying tissue as well as the cellular structure using novel in house tools such as confocal Raman imaging of molecular components. We are also improving the utility of current imaging techniques by generating machine learning tools to detect and score AD patients.

Improving education and management of atopic dermatitis

We aim to translate novel findings and technologies identified within the themes for the benefit of our patients. Strategies will include the development of new drug targets towards clinical trials in AD patients. We also aim to create novel methods to engage patients in their therapy and disease management through digital technologies. Mobile applications are co-developed with clinical trials and will be employed to improve compliance, remotely monitor patients, and improve patient self-care.

Contact us

For more information on the National Atopic Dermatitis Programme, please contact Steven Thng or John Common.