Molecular and Cellular Characterization of Spongiotic Dermatitis

Spongiotic dermatitis is the histopathologic diagnosis commonly issued by
dermatopathologists that encompasses atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and other forms
of eczematous dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disease
characterized by pruritic, scaly, red, eczematous skin lesions, and a personal or family
history of atopy. Patients affected by atopic dermatitis experience significant morbidity
from extreme pruritus, recurrent cutaneous infections, and extensive and/or disfiguring skin
lesions. Allergic contact dermatitis typically manifests as pruritus and vesicular or
eczematous lesions associated with direct exposure to environmental haptenic allergens.

The specific aims of this research are:

1. Identification of genes differentially expressed in atopic dermatitis, contact
dermatitis, and psoriasis by microarray analyses.

2. Confirmation of protein expression profiles in atopic and contact dermatitis, and
psoriasis by immunohistochemical analyses.

3. Identification of disease-specific potential diagnostic markers in plasma and PBMC.

The information obtained will assist in development of diagnostic methods for
differentiation of the types of spongiotic dermatitis. This study also has the potential to
lead to the dissection of pathologic pathways involved in these diseases and development of
novel therapeutic agents.