1. School of Medicine
  2. Research groups
  3. Dermato-Rheumatology

Dermato-Rheumatology

  • Group summary: The Dermato-Rheumatology Group focused on diseases and conditions which affect the skin and musculoskeletal compartment, working to identify triggers and mechanism which cause the onset of these diseases. Through the research and development of non-invasive diagnostic procedures for psoriatic arthritis and lupus erythematosus, this group aims to improve detection and responses to therapy associated with early detection.

What we do

This is an interdisciplinary group working on diseases with affect the skin and the musceloskeletal compartment. Among those diseases we focus on collagenoses (close collaboration with the Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases group), in particular lupus erythematosus and the psoriatic disease continuum. Our work integrates 'basic science' and clinical projects.

The main questions we seek to answer are the following:

Psoriatic Disease

  • Identification of triggers and mechanisms involved in onset of the disease.
  • Non invasive diagnostic to allow stratification regarding [1] disease subgroups [2] response to therapy [3] early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis involvement.
  • Improved diagnostic approach for difficult to diagnose psoriasis, in particular in the palmoplantar location.
  • Role of tissue responses in skin and joint inflammation with special focus on IL-36 family, IL-23 – IL-17 axis.

Lupus erythematosus (LE)

  • Research into the pathomechanism of scarring outcome in cutaneous LE.
  • Non invasive approach for diagnostic and disease activity.
  • Early diagnosis of patients at risk of developing LE, prediction of disesease progression

Funding

Key publications

  1. .
    Md Yusof MY, Psarras A, El-Sherbiny YM, Hensor EMA, Dutton K, Ul-Hassan S, Zayat AS, Shalbaf M, Alase A, Wittmann M, Emery P, Vital EM.
    Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Oct;77(10):1432-1439. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-213386. Epub 2018 Jun 21
     
  2. .
    Berekméri A, Latzko A, Alase A, Macleod T, Ainscough JS, Laws P, Goodfield M, Wright A, Helliwell P, Edward S, Brown GD, Reid DM, Wenzel J, Stacey M, Wittmann M.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 Sep;142(3):988-991.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.04.031. Epub 2018 May 18. No abstract available.
     
  3. .
    El-Sherbiny YM, Psarras A, Md Yusof MY, Hensor EMA, Tooze R, Doody G, Mohamed AAA, McGonagle D, Wittmann M, Emery P, Vital EM.
    Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 11;8(1):5793. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-24198-1. Erratum in: .
     
  4. .
    Bridgewood C, Fearnley GW, Berekmeri A, Laws P, Macleod T, Ponnambalam S, Stacey M, Graham A, Wittmann M.
    Front Immunol. 2018 Feb 26;9:200. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00200. eCollection 2018.
     
  5. .
    Ainscough JS, Macleod T, McGonagle D, Brakefield R, Baron JM, Alase A, Wittmann M, Stacey M.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017 Mar 28;114(13):E2748-E2757. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1620954114. Epub 2017 Mar 13.
     
  6. .
    Bridgewood C, Stacey M, Alase A, Lagos D, Graham A, Wittmann M.
    Exp Dermatol. 2017 May;26(5):402-408. doi: 10.1111/exd.13228. Epub 2017 Mar 2.
     
  7. .
    Macleod T, Doble R, McGonagle D, Wasson CW, Alase A, Stacey M, Wittmann M.
    Sci Rep. 2016 Apr 22;6:24880. doi: 10.1038/srep24880.
     
  8. .
    Alase AA, El-Sherbiny YM, Vital EM, Tobin DJ, Turner NA, Wittmann M.
    J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Dec;135(12):2935-2943. doi: 10.1038/jid.2015.317. Epub 2015 Aug 19.
     
  9. .
    Savage LJ, Wittmann M, McGonagle D, Helliwell PS.
    Rheumatol Ther. 2015 Jun;2(1):1-16. Epub 2015 Mar 17. Review.
     
  10. .
    Vital EM, Wittmann M, Edward S, Md Yusof MY, MacIver H, Pease CT, Goodfield M, Emery P.
    Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015 Jun;67(6):1586-91. doi: 10.1002/art.39085.
     
  11. .
    D'Erme AM, Wilsmann-Theis D, Wagenpfeil J, Hölzel M, Ferring-Schmitt S, Sternberg S, Wittmann M, Peters B, Bosio A, Bieber T, Wenzel J.
    J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Apr;135(4):1025-1032. doi: 10.1038/jid.2014.532. Epub 2014 Dec 19.

 

Who we are

People

Dr Miriam Wittmann

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