Skin Microbial Ecology in Atopic Dermatitis

NCT ID: NCT04170244

Last Updated: 2025-06-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 240 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-04-17
• Study Completion Date: 2027-04-01

Brief Summary

Everybody's skin has bacteria that normally lives on it. Previous research has shown that people with eczema (or atopic dermatitis [AD]) have much higher concentrations of a certain bacteria (S. aureus), especially when their disease is active but little is known about the role that this bacteria plays in psoriasis (i.e. disease severity, biomarkers and skin barrier function). The overarching purpose of this longitudinal study is to understand how the abundance of skin S. aureus (and several commensal bacteria) change as a consequence of standard of care treatment in the URMC dermatology clinics. Other assays and biospecimens will also be collected to address a number of questions.

Detailed Description

Although the two most common inflammatory skin diseases (AD and Psoriasis) are now quite effectively managed with topical and/or systemic therapies, how this disease improvement is reflected in changes of skin microbial pathogens and commensals is still not well understood. We have several aims.

Aim 1 - Determine how the abundance of S. aureus, other microbes of interest including, but not exclusive to, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species [CONS], and C. acnes on the skin surface varies as a function of time and/or disease activity in AD, plaque stage psoriasis (PS) and healthy, non-atopics (NA). Aim 2 - Validate whether a biomarker (or panel) identifies subjects with greater S. aureus burden (e.g., abundance). Aim 3 - Identify a biomarker (or panel) that predicts clinical improvement observed in our AD or PS subjects. Aim 4 - Quantify S. aureus virulence factors from skin swabs of all three subject populations. Exploratory Aim 5 - Develop a skin microbial repository (optional) where we will focus on the interplay between S. aureus and other microbes from AD and PS patients, and age- and gender-matched healthy NAs. Exploratory Aim 6 - Develop a repository of skin tape strips for biomarker and protease assays. Exploratory Aim 7 - (optional enrollment) - To identify skin epithelial gene signatures from AD skin that are unique and not found in healthy non- AD, NA control skin samples after they are infected ex vivo with HSV-1. A secondary goal of this work will be to evaluate how Real-World treatment(s) affect these observations.

Conditions

Atopic Dermatitis; Psoriasis; Healthy

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Atopic Dermatitis

Intervention is whatever Rx the URMC dermatologist thinks is best suited to the subject as part of "real-world" disease management in her clinic.

1. Ages: 1. 13-65 yrs of age (inclusive), all genders, races and ethnicities 2. Additional 66+ yrs of age group, all genders, races and ethnicities

AD subject visit sampling procedures

Intervention Type: OTHER

Skin swabs for microbial analysis, Tape stripping and transepidermal water loss measurements (TEWL) with tape stripping (all patients) to assess skin barrier function, blood serum (adults \& optional for adolescents), and optional biopsy (adults only)

Healthy control

No intervention

Ages:

1. 13-65 yrs of age (inclusive), all genders, races and ethnicities

2. Additional 66+ yrs of age group, all genders, races and ethnicities

Healthy control visit sampling procedures

Intervention Type: OTHER

Skin swabs for microbial analysis, Tape stripping and transepidermal water loss measurements (TEWL) with tape stripping (all patients) to assess skin barrier function, blood serum (adults \& optional for adolescents), and optional biopsy (adults only)

Psoriasis

Intervention is whatever Rx the URMC dermatologist thinks is best suited to the subject as part of "real-world" disease management in her clinic. Ages:13-65 yrs of age (inclusive), all genders, races and ethnicities.

PS subject visit sampling procedures

Intervention Type: OTHER

Skin swabs for microbial analysis, Tape stripping and transepidermal water loss measurements (TEWL) with tape stripping (all patients) to assess skin barrier function, and blood serum (optional for all PS subjects)

Interventions

AD subject visit sampling procedures

Skin swabs for microbial analysis, Tape stripping and transepidermal water loss measurements (TEWL) with tape stripping (all patients) to assess skin barrier function, blood serum (adults \& optional for adolescents), and optional biopsy (adults only)

Intervention Type: OTHER

PS subject visit sampling procedures

Skin swabs for microbial analysis, Tape stripping and transepidermal water loss measurements (TEWL) with tape stripping (all patients) to assess skin barrier function, and blood serum (optional for all PS subjects)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Healthy control visit sampling procedures

Skin swabs for microbial analysis, Tape stripping and transepidermal water loss measurements (TEWL) with tape stripping (all patients) to assess skin barrier function, blood serum (adults \& optional for adolescents), and optional biopsy (adults only)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• ≥13 to 65 years of age (inclusive) for PS, ≥13 for AD and NA, male or female
• Optional Bx sub study - only adults (18-65 yrs; inclusive only)
• Able to understand protocol and give consent
• Able to keep clinic/study appointments and comply with study related procedures
• Must be able to read, speak, and understand English
• Chronic AD, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Consensus Criteria (Eichenfield 2014), that has been present for at least 1 year before the enrollment visit
• Chronic PS, according to the AAD Consensus Criteria (Menter et al 2008 (section 1)), that has been present for at least 1 year before the enrollment visit.
• AD subjects: have active lesions on upper extremities, lower extremities, or trunk and a total disease severity of high moderate-to-severe (EASI ≥12)
• PS subjects: have active lesions on upper extremities, lower extremities, or trunk and a total disease severity of high moderate-to-severe (PASI ≥7)

Exclusion Criteria

• Unwilling and/or unable to complete informed consent process
• <13 or > 65 years of age for PS, >13 for AD and NA
• AD subjects: disease without upper extremity, lower extremity, or trunk lesions
• AD subjects: total disease severity less than moderate (EASI <12), depending on enrollment
• PS subjects: disease without upper extremity, lower extremity, or trunk lesions
• PS subjects: total disease severity less than moderate (PASI <7), depending on enrollment
• Control subjects: diagnosed with an inflammatory skin disease
• Severe concomitant illness(es) that, in the investigator's judgment, would adversely affect the individual's participation in the study (Ex: HIV infection, autoimmune disease, severe heart failure, Hx of malignancy (other than in situ cervical cancer or basosquamous skin cancer), etc.)
• Recent bacterial, fungal, or viral infection requiring systemic therapies (PO, IV or IM) within the last month.
• Subjects with a history of serious life-threatening reaction to tape or adhesives may be enrolled but cannot undergo Tape stripping procedure and will therefore only have a baseline TEWL measurement.
• (For Skin biopsy substudy only) - Subjects with history of keloid formation or allergy to lidocaine.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Rochester

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Lisa Beck

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

University of Rochester Medical Center

Rochester, New York, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Dermatology clinical trials unit

Role: CONTACT

DermCTU_Appointments@URMC.Rochester.edu

585-273-4195

Facility Contacts

Lisa Beck, MD

Role: primary

lisa_beck@urmc.rochester.edu

585-275-7546

Other Identifiers

STUDY00003830

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id