Active clinical trials for "Pemphigus, Benign Familial"

Hailey Hailey and Darier disease are rare genetic dermatoses. Mutations of 2 genes (ATP2C1 or ATP2A2 respectively) are responsible for the diseases. These genes have a key role in calcium pump; their defect create abnormal link between keratinocytes' desmosomes and induce skin lesions. Clinically, patients present with inflammatory lesions located in the folds. Quality of life is impaired because of pain, pruritus and tendency to infections. Lesions are permanent but acute exacerbations occur in hot seasons because of increased sweating. Usual therapies are often not effective (local treatment, laser, phototherapy). Because sweating is a well established inducing or aggravating factor, botulism toxin could be an effective treatment for these diseases. Botulism toxin is already used in clinical practice and acts via a decreased sweet secretion. Improvement of skin lesions in Hailey-Hailey or Darier diseases has been previously reported in a few cases but there is no study properly evaluating the benefit of such treatment. The aim of the project is to study the improvement of quality of life for patients suffering from Hailey-Hailey or Darier diseases after a injections of botulism toxin in large skin folds. The principal objective is to estimate the distribution of the variation of quality of life at M1 vs. baseline.

The ichthyoses are a family of genetic skin diseases characterized by dry, thickened, scaling skin. Dermatologists estimate that there are over twenty varieties of ichthyosis, with a wide range of severity and associated symptoms. This registry is designed to identify people in the United States with the ichthyoses and other related disorders and to collect information about their skin ailment and how it has affected them. The database is available for review by approved research applicants. The registry is confidential and provides investigators a way to share information about studies and trials with potential participants while maintaining participants' privacy. Although the Registry is closed to new enrollment, it is still maintained in order to provide information related to understanding the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of ichthyoses. Support for studies continues and inquiries from investigators are welcomed.

"Hailey-Hailey disease is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by a genetic defect in a calcium ATPase (ATP2C1) leading to a defect in keratinocyte adhesion. The characteristic of this disease is the involvement of intertriginous areas of the skin, which are the moist sites including the axillary vault and the inguinal crease. The composition of microbial communities is primarily dependent on the physiology of the skin site and the moist sites have distinct compositions of skin microorganisms. In addition, treatment with doxycycline is often helpful in the management of Hailey-Hailey disease. These findings suggest a role of the skin microbiome in the pathogenesis of Hailey-Hailey disease. The purpose of this study is to characterize the skin microbiome in patients with Hailey-Hailey disease by the 16S method, to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and to discover new therapeutic targets in the future.

Hailey-Hailey disease is a genetic acantholytic dermatosis characterized by continuous erosion of the skin that results in a burning, painful sensation and restricts the patient in daily life. This disorder results from a genetic defect in a calcium pump, i.e. the hSPCA1 pump. Calcium pumps are crucial for the processing of cell-cell adhesion proteins such as E-cadherin, part of desmosomes, the major glue between keratinocytes in skin epidermis. Today therapy is mainly focussed on symptom relief and prevention of secondary infection. Ablative laser therapy is known to result in a speedy healing of the affected skin site within 2 weeks following laser therapy. The fact that the treated skin site remains clear from this acantholytic disorder in the months/years following ablation, regardless the existence of a germline mutation, suggests that an epigenetic modification occurs in the process of wound healing. Objective: to (1) study the expression of hSPCA1 in keratinocytes before and after laser therapy and (2) verify the loss of acantholysis by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy of cell-cell adhesions before and after laser therapy