Research grant for eczema drugs

The gene can cause a severe form of the condition

Scientists in Dundee and St Andrews have been awarded more than £1m to develop new drugs to combat a painful skin condition.

The £1.3m grant from the Medical Research Council will fund three new research posts to tackle eczema.

Academics will study a gene called filaggrin, which was discovered by Dundee University scientists last year.

Almost half of all children with severe eczema have a fault in this gene which leads to inflammation of the skin.

Experts will use the funding to look for new drugs to boost sufferers' skin barrier function.

Existing drugs for the condition target the immune system, rather than tackling the root cause of the disease.

'Exciting opportunity'

Eczema sufferers often have "leaky" skin, which allows foreign material to enter the body, triggering inflammation.

Part of the work will take place in Dundee University's new drug discovery unit at its School of Life Sciences.

It contains a drug-screening facility, allowing scientists to discover which treatments will be the most effective in combating illnesses.

Professor Irwin McLean, of Dundee University's College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, said: "This is a really exciting opportunity to develop new treatments aimed directly at the first major gene known to be involved in eczema and related conditions."

One in five children in the UK and other developed countries suffer from eczema.

Many go on to develop a range of allergies and a form of asthma linked to the skin condition.