Dr David R. Stukus on Immune-Related Response to Therapy in Atopic Dermatitis

As the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis differs across patients, better comprehension is warranted on how specific novel therapies may impact outcomes among these varying populations, said David R. Stukus, MD, FACAAI, of Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and a board member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Dr Stukus was interviewed prior to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting, which ran from November 4-8, 2021.

Transcript

With several new therapies possibly being approved for atopic dermatitis, is there anything in particular you will be watching for, or hoping to see, that pertains to your patients?

I think the pressing question is how do we identify which patients are going to respond best to which option, because all of these wonderful new biologic therapies and other treatment options have very specific ways that they sort of interact with the immune system. And we know with atopic dermatitis, it's not necessarily one size fits all.

There may be different underlying mechanisms in regards to the immune system as contributors or triggers. So, I think the biggest thing is, as all of these new wonderful treatment options become available, how do we find the best fit for the best patient? And then how do we actually determine whether or not it's working or not? So, I think that we have a lot of unanswered questions, and I think the sessions at the meeting are going to help hopefully start to answer some of those.