National Skin Centre gets $10m grant to study eczema in S'pore

Team to focus on Asian type of atopic dermatitis and tailoring treatment to each patient

- Joyce Teo

It is the itch that will not stop, affecting one in five children and one in 10 adults in Singapore.

Atopic dermatitis, often known simply as eczema, is a chronic condition that causes inflammation, redness and irritation of the skin. As it is the most prevalent skin problem here, researchers want to unravel how it develops among Asians and find new ways of treating it.

They are also looking into tailoring treatment to each patient, given how costly new therapies are.

To fight eczema, a team of scientists led by the National Skin Centre (NSC) will use a new war chest of nearly $10 million.

NSC received the grant in May – the first to be allocated to skin research by the National Medical Research Council under its Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant, which aims to advance human health and wellness, and create economic value for Singaporeans.

The money will fund the Atopic Dermatitis Research Programme for Patients (Adept), a four-year study.

Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema. It usually begins in childhood, but anyone can get it at any age.

There is no single cause. It occurs due to a deficiency in skin barrier function and an overactive immune system. Genetic and environmental factors, gut microbiome and stress also play a role in it. People with the disease have a higher chance of developing allergic conditions like food allergies, asthma and allergic rhinitis.

NSC handled more than 14,000 new eczema cases in the year ending March 31, 2023.

However, there remain many gaps in the understanding of the condition.

“At the moment, genetic studies revealed genetic factors that could only explain 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the risk of atopic dermatitis,” said Dr Yew Yik Weng, the consultant in charge of NSC’s Eczema Clinic.