What if dermatologists could better understand which treatment is right for a patient with eczema during a standard 15-minute consultation?

For people with atopic dermatitis, finding the right treatment is often still a process of trial and error: trying a medication, adjusting it, and reassessing over time. This takes time, creates uncertainty for patients and adds to the workload of dermatologists. In the Netherlands alone, more than 400,000 people receive treatment for eczema. The WorkTech project I-Sense aims to help make this process faster, more targeted and less burdensome for both patients and healthcare professionals.

In I-Sense, Dr Alina Rwei (TU Delft), Dr Eveline de Geus (Erasmus MC Dermatology) and Varsha Thakoersing from healthtech company Imcomet are developing a fast, virtually painless skin test for eczema. The technology is designed to measure biomarkers collected from the skin, helping dermatologists better understand which underlying immune response is involved. In the longer term, this could support faster and more targeted treatment decisions within the limited time of a regular consultation.

The project builds on knowledge and collaborations that partly emerged from the Convergence Health & Technology Flagship Personalized, Real-Time Health Impact of Climate Change and Pollution.

Within this Flagship, researchers from Erasmus MC, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam develop technologies to better understand and monitor the health effects of climate change and pollution in real time. One important research line focuses on biosensing: technology that brings the measurement of biological signals, such as inflammatory biomarkers, closer to everyday life.

The scope of I-Sense is different from that of the REALTIME Flagship, but the connection is clear. The biosensing technology, dermatology expertise and collaboration between TU Delft and Erasmus MC form a foundation on which I-Sense now builds. Through WorkTech, this knowledge is now being developed further with industry partner Imcomet, towards a potential diagnostic tool for eczema that could benefit patients and help reduce workload in healthcare.

Medical Delta produced a video and interview about I-Sense and the collaboration between researchers, healthcare professionals and industry.

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More about the Convergence Health & Technology Flagship Personalized, Real-Time Health Impact of Climate Change and Pollution.