Integrated Clinical Trial and Molecular Profiling Reveals Immune Drivers of Chronic Hand Eczema

Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a debilitating skin condition characterized by pain, itch, and chronic inflammation, with a complex multifactorial origin. Its diverse presentations, including overlapping traits of atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and psoriasis, make diagnosis and treatment particularly challenging. The underlying immune mechanisms of CHE still need to be investigated.

Here we conducted a comprehensive molecular profiling of CHE patients, enrolled without prior selection on etiology and morphology, and performed a phase 2b randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial comparing dupilumab to placebo over 16 weeks.

We demonstrated that CHE patients may benefit from IL4Rα-blockade, regardless of etiological factors or clinical presentation. Skin transcriptomic and serum profiles of CHE patients closely resemble those seen in both atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, with dysregulated genes affecting keratinocyte differentiation, leucocyte-mediated immunity, cytokine signaling, and mixed type 1, 2, and 3 immunity. The clinical trial included 94 adults with moderate to severe CHE persisting for at least six months and resistant to potent topical corticosteroids. Compared to placebo control, 16-week dupilumab treatment significantly improved clinical severity and quality of life of all CHE patients while largely restoring appropriate transcriptomic and proteomic programs related to skin barrier and immune homeostasis.

These findings confirmed the involvement of not only type 2 but also type 1 and type 3 immunity across all CHE patients, and demonstrate that IL-4Rα blockade may offer effective therapeutic perspectives for this highly burdensome condition, independent of an atopic dermatitis background.