Immunodermatology studies
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
as an organ of
immunity in health and disease. Several areas have special attention, such as photo-immunology (effects of
UV light on skin defense),
inflammatory diseases such as
Hidradenitis suppurativa,
allergic contact
dermatitis
Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can ...
and
atopic eczema, presumably
autoimmune
In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an " autoimmune disease" ...
skin diseases such as
vitiligo and
psoriasis, and finally the
immunology
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see ther ...
of
microbial skin diseases such as
retrovirus
A retrovirus is a type of virus that inserts a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell. Once inside the host cell's cytoplasm, the virus uses its own reverse transcriptase ...
infections and
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...
. New therapies in development for the
immunomodulation Immunomodulation is modulation (regulatory adjustment) of the immune system. It has natural and human-induced forms, and thus the word can refer to the following:
* Homeostasis in the immune system, whereby the system self-regulates to adjust immun ...
of common immunological skin diseases include
biologicals aimed at neutralizing
TNF-alfa and
chemokine receptor
Chemokine receptors are cytokine receptors found on the surface of certain cells that interact with a type of cytokine called a chemokine. There have been 20 distinct chemokine receptors discovered in humans. Each has a rhodopsin-like 7- tr ...
inhibitors.
Testing sites
There are multiple universities currently do Immunodermatology:
*
University of Utah Health.
*
University of North Carolina.
See also
*
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A List of dermatologists, dermatologist ...
*
Immune response
An immune response is a reaction which occurs within an organism for the purpose of defending against foreign invaders. These invaders include a wide variety of different microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi which could ...
References
Branches of immunology
{{immunology-stub