"Mount Sinai Dermatologist Leading Breakthrough Treatment of Severe Eczema"
Until now, the common treatments for severe eczema were powerful systemic steroids, like prednisone, which can have terrible side effects, and cyclosporine.
New drugs that Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology, and Clinical Immunology, and Director of the Center for Excellence in Eczema at The Mount Sinai Hospital is testing target only a very small part of the immune system. If successful, they could be available to the public within a few years. Dr. Guttman-Yassky has identified the molecules that cause eczema and targeted drugs to treat it. She also discovered a unique lymphocyte "Th22" — and its possible role in atopic dermatitis. "The molecular maps or pathways that are activated in eczema had not been well defined," said Dr. Guttman-Yassky. "It was not clear whether it was a disease of immune activation or if the outer layer of the skin was deficient. We now understand that the disease is primarily immune driven ... which makes it much easier to cure." Learn more
