Small molecule kallikrein 5 inhibitor: potential treatment for eczema

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A novel small molecule kallikrein 5 inhibitor: a promising target for the treatment of atopic dermatitis

• IRAS ID

  157922

• Contact name

  Wei-Li Di

• Contact email

  w.di@ucl.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Joint Research and Development Office

• Research summary

  Eczema (also called atopic dermatitis) is a very common, chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease affecting 15-20% of children in the UK. In a significant proportion of patients, eczema impacts not only on the quality of life of the affected individual but also places a social, emotional and financial burden on families. In these patients powerful oral treatments are often required for many years, with attendant side effects and risks of long-term immunosuppression. New topical treatments for eczema are therefore highly desirable.
  We have preliminary data to suggest that inhibition of a molecule called Kallikrein 5 in the skin would help treat eczema. We propose to design a new drug to inhibit Kallikrein 5, and to test it in the laboratory. As part of this project we need to test it on some real human skin cells. These would be obtained from 3 patients with eczema and 3-6 patients without eczema. For the children with eczema these tiny samples (4mm diameter) would be obtained using skin biopsies - a skin test similar in discomfort to having a blood test. These would be obtained specifically for research, with written consent, using local anaesthetic. For the children without eczema we would obtain tiny samples of normal skin whilst they were having routine surgery involving their skin for other conditions, from the same area that was being operated on routinely. What this research project hopes to do is to generate exciting data which would lead eventually to a clinical trial of a new topical treatment for this common disease.

• REC name

  London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/LO/1504

• Date of REC Opinion

  2 Oct 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion