“Experts, led by the University of Dundee, have discovered the gene which causes genetic skin conditions affecting millions of people. Experts on genetic skin disorders at the University of Dundee, with collaborators in Dublin, Glasgow, Seattle and Copenhagen, have discovered the gene that causes dry, scaly skin and predisposes individuals to atopic dermatitis (eczema) …”

“The gene in question produces a protein called filaggrin which is normally found in large quantities in the outermost layers of the skin. This protein is essential for skin barrier function, helping to form a protective layer at the surface of the skin that keeps water in and keeps foreign organisms out. Reduction or complete absence of this important protein leads to impaired formation of the skin barrier …”

Read the whole story @ The National Eczema Society (UK) site.

I won’t hold my breath while waiting for a cure just yet … but maybe someday. Hope is not dead. At least maybe now they can get to work treating the disease instead of the symptom. Some days I feel like a walking, talking symptom. Fuck.