Enter to Win the “Big Ideas for Eczema Research Challenge”!

Have you figured out something important about eczema that could benefit other patients? We invite patients, parents and caregivers to enter your insights into the Big Ideas for Eczema Challenge! The goal is to improve the understanding of eczema and accelerate ways to prevent it. Past winners received both monetary prizes and assistance with developing ideas into pilot studies through research partnerships or funding!

 
 

Meet the 2023 Contest Winners!

  • Elizabeth Shores

    First Place
    “Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Frequency” (PEMF) therapy is a non-invasive, painless treatment for various injuries, skin maladies, bone-related conditions and pains. PEMF has been used for decades in Europe and heavily researched with more than 5,000 studies showing its effectiveness and safety.
    I'd like the research to examine PEMF mat efficacy as a (complimentary) treatment specifically for eczema.
    Have the afflicted patient sit on a PEMF mat and watch the skin transformation begin in just weeks. PEMF mats are not a band-aid but instead treat the root cause of skin flares: inflammation. This therapy produces gentle pulses that will stimulate the cells well below the skin’s surface and begin working. This stimulation will help cells repair as well as help create newer healthy cells. The cells, nerves, tissues, muscles and joints may all benefit from each session.
    Spend 20 minutes twice a day laying or sitting on the PEMF mat and record the change in skin flare severity after 60 or 90 days

    References:
    1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35476222/
    2. https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO202115463169811.page
    3. https://bioresonancetherapy.com/articles/nasa-research-confirms-benefits-of-pemf-therapy/

  • Hannah Mitchell

    Second Place
    UVB phototherapy is a safe and effective treatment option for high-risk infants who may develop atopic dermatitis. By providing early intervention with UVB phototherapy, it is possible to decrease the severity of atopic dermatitis symptoms and improve the infant's quality of life. UVB phototherapy has minimal side effects, making it a safe option for infants. Developing a plan to isolate high-risk infants for early intervention for eczema involves several steps, including identifying risk factors and implementing preventative measures. One hypothesis for studying the effectiveness of UVB phototherapy as an early intervention treatment for high-risk infants with atopic dermatitis is to conduct a randomized controlled trial. The study could include a group of high-risk infants who receive UVB phototherapy treatment as an early intervention, and a control group of high-risk infants who do not receive the treatment.
    Overall, conducting randomized controlled trials and investigating optimal dosing and timing of UVB phototherapy treatment for high-risk infants can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and safety of this early intervention treatment for atopic dermatitis.

    References:
    1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33012054/
    2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23937117/

  • Armando de la Libertad

    Third Place

    My idea is a Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) prenatal intervention to prevent eczema for children with higher than average probabilities of developing eczema.The fetuses of interest are at higher risk of developing eczema because one or both parents have some combination of asthma, eczema, and food allergies OR the carrying mother is likely to experience dysbiosis–a microbe imbalance in the gut–due to, say, antibiotic use during pregnancy.FMT is a procedure that, in this case, delivers healthy human donor stool to an expectant mother via colonoscopy, enema, nasogastric (NG) tube, or in capsule form (aka, “poop pills”).

    References:

    1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/cei.133982.

    2. https://www.broadinstitute.org/blog/profiling-gut-microbes-passed-mother-baby

    3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-021-00627-6?fbclid=IwAR3uYBi1M_nRDJFVZcnQRhivCzqksBaY3H10FwelHsbRvjQF_tH0g_lrquE4.

    4. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/iid3.570