Inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis, eczema and lupus in particular, result from immune dysfunctions. They cause chronic symptoms that considerably affect the quality of life of those affected. Despite constant progress in treatment, personalized approaches to adapt treatments to the genomic profile of each patient are still lacking, particularly when therapeutic results are unsatisfactory.
A study published in “Nature”, directed by Professor Michel Gilliet, head of the Dermatology Department at CHUV and professor at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at UNIL, provides new insights. By analyzing multiple genomic data from skin samples, his team identified seven distinct immune signatures. They correspond to key immune pathways involved in inflammation.
“We have mapped the different inflammatory diseases to identify their specific immune pathways, thus creating a molecular map useful for precise diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic guidance,” explains Professor Gilliet. This approach constitutes a crucial diagnostic tool, particularly when traditional clinical assessments are not sufficient.”
Identifying the immune signature of the disease for each patient helps doctors choose the treatments best suited to the underlying immune mechanisms. This personalized approach considerably improves the chances of therapeutic success, particularly in people resistant to traditional treatments or newly diagnosed.
“At the CHUV, we now use this tool in our clinical routine for patients suffering from complex inflammatory diseases or those resistant to treatment,” explains Dr. Teofila Caplanusi, head of clinic in the Dermatology Department of the CHUV and first co-author of the study. . For example, for eczema that does not respond to usual treatment, obtaining a genomic profile in 2 weeks allows us to adjust treatment and significantly improve results and quality of life.”
“This approach based on medicine guided by data analyzes represents a major advance in precision medicine,” underlines Professor Raphael Gottardo, director of the Center for Biomedical Data Science at CHUV and co-author of the study. Understanding the molecular landscape of these diseases could also make it possible to identify new therapeutic targets, predict the effectiveness of treatments in development or even better target clinical trials. This is one of the first demonstrations of the impact of molecular data science in the clinic.”
At CHUV, a platform integrating molecular and clinical data is being developed, with the aim of accelerating patient care by clinicians in the Dermatology Department. This initiative will place the CHUV at the forefront of precision dermatology. Furthermore, an international network is being established to share this molecular mapping and thus advance personalized medicine in dermatology on a global scale.
The CHUV Dermatology and Venereology Department treats approximately 30,000 patients per year for inflammatory skin diseases.
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