dermatology
Updates in Autoimmune Blistering Disease: Established and Emerging Therapies
Dr. Cory Simpson presented information about the autoimmune blistering diseases pemphigus and pemphigoid, including their pathogenesis, varied clinical presentations, diagnostic work-up, and available and emerging treatment options. First, Simpson described the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of pemphigus and pemphigoid. Both are autoimmune diseases caused by the immune system attacking certain proteins present in the skin…
Defining Novel Druggable Pathways in Darier, Hailey-Hailey, and Grover Disease: From Bedside to Bench and Back
Dr. Cory Simpson presented information about his research identifying novel therapeutic targets for rare skin blistering disorders, including Darier, Hailey-Hailey, and Grover disease. First, Simpson described the clinical features, pathology, and genetics of Darier and Hailey-Hailey disease. Both diseases are autosomal dominant with adolescent onset. They may present with flaccid blisters, crusted erosions, and fissured…
Tough Decisions for Longitudinal Melanonychia: Approach to Evaluation, Sampling, and Laboratory Processing
Dr. Adam Rubin presented information about the clinical presentation and biopsy collection of longitudinal melanonychia. Most cases of nail unit melanoma (NUM) present as longitudinal melanonychia. NUM has a higher mortality rate compared with other cutaneous melanomas due to delayed diagnosis and more advanced disease on presentation. First, Rubin described the clinical presentation of longitudinal…
Nailing the Red Streak: Evaluation of Erythronychia and Novel Insights
Dr. Adam Rubin presented information about the clinical presentation, histopathology, and differential diagnosis of longitudinal erythronychia. The differential diagnosis of longitudinal erythronychia includes onychopapilloma, nail unit acantholytic dyskeratotic acanthoma, glomus tumor, symplastic glomus tumor, arteriovenous malformation, subungual leiomyoma, amelanotic melanoma, and nail unit squamous cell carcinoma. Polydactylous erythronychia may indicate systemic disease. First, Rubin discussed…
From Human Biology to Precision Medicine
When Thomas Leung, MD, PhD, walked into his postdoctoral laboratory at Stanford University (Stanford) on his first day, he was surprised to discover that graduate students in a neighboring lab already knew who he was. Their principal investigator, a former lab mate, had been sharing a story about him. As a graduate student, Leung had…
Organoids, CRISPR, and a Shortcut to Therapies for Rare Blistering Diseases
Blistering skin diseases cause a great deal of ongoing suffering. Their characteristic surface wounds cause pain, itching, and infections, and conventional treatments, including topical and oral corticosteroids, provide temporary, limited relief. For autoimmune blistering diseases, like pemphigus vulgaris, monoclonal antibodies (e.g., rituximab) promise longer-lasting relief, while CAAR-T cell therapy that targets B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases is a promising development…
Transforming Diagnosis and Care of Patients with Pyoderma Gangrenosum
When Alex Ortega, MD, was in medical school at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in Lima, Peru, he became fascinated with dermatology. He had come across a paper about pemphigus foliaceus in Brazil (Warren et al. 2000), the lead author of which was a fellow Peruvian, Luis Diaz, who at the time was…
New Opportunity for Early-Career Investigators Doing Vitiligo Research
A new partnership between the Dermatology Foundation and the Global Vitiligo Foundation (GVF) will fund a DF Career Development Award (CDA) dedicated to advancing vitiligo-focused research. The DF Research Award Program supports outstanding researchers whose forward-thinking ideas promise to shape the future of dermatology. “Vitiligo remains one of the most psychologically devastating and therapeutically challenging…
Breaking New Ground and Breaking Divides in South African Dermatology for Black Africans
As a Black South African living under apartheid, Ncoza Dlova, MD, faced racism at every turn. Yet she broke through systemic barriers to achieve a series of historic firsts. Dlova was the first Black African woman and dermatologist to graduate from the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South…
Granulomas Gone Wild: Update of Rubella as an Evolving Trigger
Dr. Karolyn Wanat presented information about the discovery, diagnosis, and treatment of rubella virus (RuV)-associated granulomas. RuV is a single-stranded RNA virus typically associated with a mild clinical course. It can persist in immune-privileged sites and cause complications, including encephalitis, uveitis, arthritis, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The RuV vaccine was developed because of the…
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