A Korean research team has successfully developed a “next-generation 3D artificial skin model” that replicates the unique lesion environment of patients with atopic dermatitis.
By accurately recreating the microenvironment of atopic dermatitis lesions to closely resemble actual human skin, this model is expected not only to clarify the efficacy of treatments but also to accelerate the development of personalized new drugs.
Previously, atopic dermatitis research primarily relied on two-dimensional cell cultures or mouse models. However, human skin involves a complex interplay among structural cells, immune cells, and sensory nerves, making it difficult to accurately predict drug effects in two-dimensional experimental systems. In particular, elucidating the unique “hypoxic environment” characteristic of atopic dermatitis and the resulting itch mechanism has remained a challenge.
To address this issue, the research team introduced “single-cell RNA sequencing” technology. By analyzing patient skin tissue at the cellular level, they identified specific fibroblasts (COL6A5⁺) that induce itch. Subsequently, using a special gelatin-based hydrogel, they constructed a three-dimensional scaffold in which these cells could live and move, precisely recreating a hypoxic state similar to that found in patient skin.
The research results demonstrated, in real time, that cells exposed to a hypoxic environment within the artificial skin model release itch-inducing factors that activate nearby sensory nerve cells. The researchers said this marks the world’s first laboratory evidence that itching, a core symptom of atopic dermatitis, is not simply inflammation but a collaborative process involving the “structure-immune-nervous system.”
The greatest significance of this research lies in its “patient-specific” nature. Because models are created from individual patient genetic data, it is possible to predict how a patient will respond to a specific drug before clinical trials. This not only enhances the efficiency of new drug development but also enables “precision medicine,” allowing physicians to prescribe the most effective treatment for the patient from the outset, they added.
“This technology will serve as the foundation for establishing personalized treatment strategies for each patient, changing the paradigm in clinical practice,” Professor Kim, who led the research, said. “We plan to expand our research beyond atopic dermatitis to encompass chronic inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis.”
