Atopic dermatitis (AD), one of the most common skin conditions worldwide, has shown an increasing severity and chronicity in recent years, affecting 20.6% of children and adolescents. Fortunately, recent advancements in the management of AD have rekindled hope in numerous patients who do not respond well to conventional therapies.

On 8th December 2023, The Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong organised a scientific symposium on atopic dermatitis in the Prince of Wales Hospital and invited Prof. Mark KOH Jean Aan to give a lecture on AD management, titled “Biologic for Managing Atopic Dermatitis – Further Updates for Younger Children”. Prof. Mark Koh is a Clinical Associate Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, and the Head and Senior Consultant at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and it was honoured to have invited Prof. Koh to share his clinical experience in Asia.

Prof. Koh began the lecture by introducing the substantial physical and mental burden of atopic dermatitis. Then, he explained the pathogenesis of AD and biomarkers in different populations, after which he shared the clinical presentation and elaborated on the differential diagnosis of AD. For the central part of the presentation, he illustrated a holistic landscape of the available AD treatment, shared some clinical cases involving the use of dupilumab in children, and highlighted the recent approval of dupilumab for AD treatment in infants down to 6 months. Additionally, he gave a snapshot of other medications undergoing clinical trials to supplement the advancement in AD treatment, such as IL-13 inhibitors. Finally, Prof. Koh wrapped up the presentation with a condensed summary and a fruitful Q&A session.