Skin bioMARkers for Atopic Eczema Therapy Evaluation

NCT04194814 | Completed Phase 2 Results

• 4 other identifiers: STH199662019-002643-23WI242083-UK [Eucrisa]269415
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 37
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study aims to investigate two new non-invasive technologies for assessing skin properties to identify and validate a range of safety biomarkers that may be considered useful as primary outcome measures for evaluating the safety of topical treatments in atopic dermatitis. The method of assessing these biomarker technologies will be to determine whether twice daily treatment with crisaborole (2%) ointment, compared to betamethasone valerate (0.1%) cream, for up to 4 weeks, may cause skin structure or function changes, like skin atrophy, in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Conditions

Atopic Eczema/Dermatitis (Non-Specific)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Epidermal Thickness

  The difference in the change in epidermal thickness, measured by structural OCT, between the sites treated with crisaborole (2%) ointment and betamethasone valerate (0.1%) cream.

  Day 1 - Day 57

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Analysis of Change in Objective Erythema

  Day 1, Day 15, Day 29 and Day 57

• TEWL - Skin Barrier Function

  Day 1, Day 15, Day 29 and Day 57

• TEWL - After Tape-stripping

  on Day 29, after 28 days treatment

• Comparison of TEWL - After Tape-stripping

  on Day 29, after 28 days treatment

• Skin Dryness

  Visual skin dryness scored on day 1, day 15, day 29 and day 57

Other Outcomes (10)

• Superficial Plexus Depth

  Day 1, Day 15, Day 29 and Day 57

• Blood Vessel Diameter

  Day 1, Day 15, Day 29 and Day 57.

• Blood Vessel Density

  Day 1, Day 15, Day 29 and Day 57.

Study Arms (1)

crisaborole and topical Corticosteroid

OTHER

crisaborole (2%) ointment on the other forearm, twice daily application for 4 weeks (randomised site allocation) betamethasone valerate (0.1%) cream on one forearm, twice daily application for 4 weeks (randomised site allocation)

Drug: crisaborole (2%) ointment; Drug: betamethasone valerate 0.1% cream

Interventions

crisaborole (2%) ointment DRUG

twice daily application on one forearm for 4 weeks (randomised site allocation)

Also known as: Eucrisa

crisaborole and topical Corticosteroid

betamethasone valerate 0.1% cream DRUG

twice daily application on one forearm for 4 weeks (randomised site allocation)

Also known as: Betnovate cream

crisaborole and topical Corticosteroid

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Volunteers with AD defined according to the UK working party diagnostic criteria
• Male or female aged 18-65 years old at baseline (Visit 1)
• Volunteer understands the purpose, modalities and potential risk of the trial
• Participants able to read and understand English
• Participants willing to sign the informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Participants with a known allergy/hypersensitivity to any of the excipients of the trial preparations.
• Participants with acne, suntan, birth marks, multiple nevi, tattoos, blemishes or dense body hair that obstruct the test areas.
• Investigator assessment of eczema severity at the treatment (anatomical) sites is almost clear or greater (score ≥1) based on the Investigators static global assessment scale at screening and baseline. At the start of the study the skin of the test sites (forearms) will therefore be clear (0) of the signs of eczema
• Participants with a condition that in the opinion of the investigator contradicts participation in the study.
• Pregnant female participants; breastfeeding female participants; and female participants of childbearing potential who are unwilling or unable to use a highly effective method of contraception as outlined in this protocol for the duration of the study and for at least 28 days after the last dose of investigational product.
• Use of any topical product on the test areas within 7 days prior to Baseline/Day 1, including cosmetic moisturizers and sunscreen. Participants using any topical products on the test areas within 7 days at the screening visit will be eligible if they are willing and able to wash-out these products for 7 days in total and for the duration of the trial. Such participants will be potentially eligible at screening and will be confirmed as eligible if adequate washout is confirmed at visit 1. Use of moisturizers and/or sunscreen is permitted during the study to manage dry skin and sun exposure in areas surrounding but not on or overlapping the test areas.
• Participants who have used a tanning bed within 28 days of baseline (visit 1). Participants who have used a sunbed within 28 days at the screening visit will be eligible if they are willing and able to wash-out for 28 days in total and for the duration of the trial. Such participants will be potentially eligible at screening and will be confirmed as eligible if adequate washout is confirmed at visit 1.
• Participants who have used any medication that could interfere with the trial aim prior to the start of the study (baseline/visit 1). Participants using such medication at the screening visit will be eligible if they are willing and able to wash-out these treatments for the applicable washout period as defined by in section 8.8 'Prior and Concomitant Medication' and for the duration of the trial. Such participants will be potentially eligible at screening and will be confirmed as eligible if adequate washout is confirmed at visit 1.
• Participants currently participating in another interventional clinical trial.
• Volunteer is incapable of giving fully informed consent.
• Participants judged by the PI to be inappropriate for the trial.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: lead
• University of Sheffield: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Sheffield Dermatology Research, University of Sheffield Medical School, The Royal Hallamshire Hospital

Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2JF, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (24)

• Odhiambo JA, Williams HC, Clayton TO, Robertson CF, Asher MI; ISAAC Phase Three Study Group. Global variations in prevalence of eczema symptoms in children from ISAAC Phase Three. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Dec;124(6):1251-8.e23. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.10.009.

  PMID: 20004783 BACKGROUND

• Kerr OA, Tidman MJ, Walker JJ, Aldridge RD, Benton EC. The profile of dermatological problems in primary care. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2010 Jun;35(4):380-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2009.03586.x. Epub 2009 Oct 23.

  PMID: 19874334 BACKGROUND

• Cork MJ, Danby SG, Vasilopoulos Y, Hadgraft J, Lane ME, Moustafa M, Guy RH, Macgowan AL, Tazi-Ahnini R, Ward SJ. Epidermal barrier dysfunction in atopic dermatitis. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Aug;129(8):1892-908. doi: 10.1038/jid.2009.133. Epub 2009 Jun 4.

  PMID: 19494826 BACKGROUND

• Punekar YS, Sheikh A. Establishing the sequential progression of multiple allergic diagnoses in a UK birth cohort using the General Practice Research Database. Clin Exp Allergy. 2009 Dec;39(12):1889-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2009.03366.x. Epub 2009 Oct 7.

  PMID: 19817751 BACKGROUND

• Gupta R, Sheikh A, Strachan DP, Anderson HR. Burden of allergic disease in the UK: secondary analyses of national databases. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004 Apr;34(4):520-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.1935.x.

  PMID: 15080802 BACKGROUND

• Lewis-Jones S, Mugglestone MA; Guideline Development Group. Management of atopic eczema in children aged up to 12 years: summary of NICE guidance. BMJ. 2007 Dec 15;335(7632):1263-4. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39405.503773.AD. No abstract available.

  PMID: 18079551 BACKGROUND

• Hengge UR, Ruzicka T, Schwartz RA, Cork MJ. Adverse effects of topical glucocorticosteroids. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Jan;54(1):1-15; quiz 16-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2005.01.010.

  PMID: 16384751 BACKGROUND

• Schmitt J, von Kobyletzki L, Svensson A, Apfelbacher C. Efficacy and tolerability of proactive treatment with topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors for atopic eczema: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Br J Dermatol. 2011 Feb;164(2):415-28. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10030.x. Epub 2010 Nov 23.

  PMID: 20819086 BACKGROUND

• Batchelor JM, Ridd MJ, Clarke T, Ahmed A, Cox M, Crowe S, Howard M, Lawton S, McPhee M, Rani A, Ravenscroft JC, Roberts A, Thomas KS. The Eczema Priority Setting Partnership: a collaboration between patients, carers, clinicians and researchers to identify and prioritize important research questions for the treatment of eczema. Br J Dermatol. 2013 Mar;168(3):577-82. doi: 10.1111/bjd.12040. Epub 2013 Jan 18.

  PMID: 22963149 BACKGROUND

• Byers RA, Maiti R, Danby SG, Pang EJ, Mitchell B, Carre MJ, Lewis R, Cork MJ, Matcher SJ. Sub-clinical assessment of atopic dermatitis severity using angiographic optical coherence tomography. Biomed Opt Express. 2018 Mar 29;9(4):2001-2017. doi: 10.1364/BOE.9.002001. eCollection 2018 Apr 1.

  PMID: 29675335 BACKGROUND

• Ugryumova N, Jacobs J, Bonesi M, Matcher SJ. Novel optical imaging technique to determine the 3-D orientation of collagen fibers in cartilage: variable-incidence angle polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2009 Jan;17(1):33-42. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2008.05.005. Epub 2008 Jul 14.

  PMID: 18621555 BACKGROUND

• Danby SG, Brown K, Higgs-Bayliss T, Chittock J, Albenali L, Cork MJ. The Effect of an Emollient Containing Urea, Ceramide NP, and Lactate on Skin Barrier Structure and Function in Older People with Dry Skin. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2016;29(3):135-47. doi: 10.1159/000445955. Epub 2016 Jun 2.

  PMID: 27251427 BACKGROUND

• Boncheva M, Damien F, Normand V. Molecular organization of the lipid matrix in intact Stratum corneum using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2008 May;1778(5):1344-55. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2008.01.022. Epub 2008 Feb 11.

  PMID: 18298945 BACKGROUND

• Damien F, Boncheva M. The extent of orthorhombic lipid phases in the stratum corneum determines the barrier efficiency of human skin in vivo. J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Feb;130(2):611-4. doi: 10.1038/jid.2009.272. Epub 2009 Sep 3. No abstract available.

  PMID: 19727117 BACKGROUND

• Chittock J, Brown K, Cork MJ, Danby SG. Comparing the Effect of a Twice-weekly Tacrolimus and Betamethasone Valerate Dose on the Subclinical Epidermal Barrier Defect in Atopic Dermatitis. Acta Derm Venereol. 2015 Jul;95(6):653-8. doi: 10.2340/00015555-2048.

  PMID: 25594610 BACKGROUND

• Danby SG, Chittock J, Brown K, Albenali LH, Cork MJ. The effect of tacrolimus compared with betamethasone valerate on the skin barrier in volunteers with quiescent atopic dermatitis. Br J Dermatol. 2014 Apr;170(4):914-21. doi: 10.1111/bjd.12778.

  PMID: 24328907 BACKGROUND

• Kezic S, O'Regan GM, Yau N, Sandilands A, Chen H, Campbell LE, Kroboth K, Watson R, Rowland M, McLean WH, Irvine AD. Levels of filaggrin degradation products are influenced by both filaggrin genotype and atopic dermatitis severity. Allergy. 2011 Jul;66(7):934-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2010.02540.x. Epub 2011 Jan 25.

  PMID: 21261659 BACKGROUND

• Lu Z, Kasaragod D, Matcher SJ. Conical scan polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. Biomed Opt Express. 2014 Feb 18;5(3):752-62. doi: 10.1364/BOE.5.000752. eCollection 2014 Mar 1.

  PMID: 24688811 BACKGROUND

• Chittock J, Cooke A, Lavender T, Brown K, Wigley A, Victor S, Cork MJ, Danby SG. Development of stratum corneum chymotrypsin-like protease activity and natural moisturizing factors from birth to 4 weeks of age compared with adults. Br J Dermatol. 2016 Oct;175(4):713-20. doi: 10.1111/bjd.14568. Epub 2016 Jul 22.

  PMID: 26994359 BACKGROUND

• Danby SG, AlEnezi T, Sultan A, Lavender T, Chittock J, Brown K, Cork MJ. Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier: implications for neonatal skin care. Pediatr Dermatol. 2013 Jan-Feb;30(1):42-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1470.2012.01865.x. Epub 2012 Sep 20.

  PMID: 22995032 BACKGROUND

• Brancaleon L, Bamberg MP, Sakamaki T, Kollias N. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a possible method to investigate biophysical parameters of stratum corneum in vivo. J Invest Dermatol. 2001 Mar;116(3):380-6. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.2001.01262.x.

  PMID: 11231311 BACKGROUND

• Ring A, Schreiner V, Wenck H, Wittern KP, Kupper L, Keyhani R. Mid-infrared spectroscopy on skin using a silver halide fibre probe in vivo. Skin Res Technol. 2006 Feb;12(1):18-23. doi: 10.1111/j.0909-725X.2006.00130.x.

  PMID: 16420534 BACKGROUND

• Cooke A, Cork MJ, Victor S, Campbell M, Danby S, Chittock J, Lavender T. Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil or no Oil for Baby Dry Skin or Massage: A Pilot, Assessor-blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial (the Oil in Baby SkincaRE [OBSeRvE] Study). Acta Derm Venereol. 2016 Mar;96(3):323-30. doi: 10.2340/00015555-2279.

  PMID: 26551528 BACKGROUND

• Kao JS, Fluhr JW, Man MQ, Fowler AJ, Hachem JP, Crumrine D, Ahn SK, Brown BE, Elias PM, Feingold KR. Short-term glucocorticoid treatment compromises both permeability barrier homeostasis and stratum corneum integrity: inhibition of epidermal lipid synthesis accounts for functional abnormalities. J Invest Dermatol. 2003 Mar;120(3):456-64. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.2003.12053.x.

  PMID: 12603860 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Atopic eczema in children - Guideline consultation: National Institute for Clinical Excellence, Department of Health, UK
• Danby SG, Wan H, Chittock J et al. Characterisation of the skin barrier defect in atopic dermatitis using in vivo ATR-FTIR molecular spectroscopy. J Invest Dermatol 2016; 136: S182.
• Lu Z, et al. Optical coherence tomography demonstrates differential epidermal thinning of human forearm volar skin after 2 weeks application of a topical corticosteroid vs a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory alternative. Proc. SPIE 2013; 85
• Takada S, Naito S, Sonoda J et al. Noninvasive In Vivo Measurement of Natural Moisturizing Factor Content in Stratum Corneum of Human Skin by Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy. Applied Spectroscopy 2012; 66: 26-32.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dermatitis, Atopic; Dermatitis

Interventions

crisaborole; Ointments; Betamethasone Valerate

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Skin Diseases, Genetic; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Skin Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Skin Diseases, Eczematous; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Hypersensitivity; Immune System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Dosage Forms; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Betamethasone; Pregnadienetriols; Pregnadienes; Pregnanes; Steroids; Fused-Ring Compounds; Polycyclic Compounds; Steroids, Fluorinated

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr Simon Danby
• Organization: University of Sheffield

s.danby@sheffield.ac.uk

0114 2268515

Study Officials

• Michael J Cork, MB.ChB

  The University of Sheffield & Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Allocation of the treatments to the test sites (right/left forearm) will be randomised (to avoid site position-dependent artefacts) Observer-blind - The collection of study data will be conducted in a separate area (dedicated skin barrier research suite) by a separate team (comprising skilled dermatology researchers) who will be blind.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: An observer-blind forearm-controlled clinical trial in 37 AD patients, wherein each participant will undergo 4 weeks treatment with crisaborole (2%) ointment on one forearm and betamethasone valerate (0.1%) cream on the other (twice daily application in each case and randomised site allocation). At the start of the study the skin of the test sites (forearms) will be clear of the signs of AD so that the investigation focuses on local adverse effects on the skin as opposed to anti-inflammatory effects (focus on local adverse effects and not clinical efficacy). The condition of the skin will be assessed before, during and after treatment.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2019
• First Posted: December 11, 2019
• Study Start: November 20, 2020
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2021
• Study Completion: September 30, 2021
• Last Updated: July 18, 2025
• Results First Posted: July 18, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)