PhD defence L.E.M. (Linde) de Wijs

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a very heterogeneous chronic inflammatory skin disease which is associated with a high physical and (psycho)social burden. At present, there is no cure for AD and the main goal of treatment is therefore to establish sustained disease control with an increased quality of life, by providing patient-centered care. AD treatment consists of avoidance of triggering factors, improvement of skin barrier impairment, and anti-inflammatory treatment. Anti-inflammatory treatment follows a step-up or step-down approach using topical therapy, phototherapy, conventional systemic immunosuppressants, or targeted therapies (including biologics and small molecule antagonists). Dupilumab is the first biologic that has been approved for treatment of moderate-to-severe AD and was proven efficacious in clinical trials. However, controlled situations in clinical trials might lead to differences in treatment effect in clinical trials versus daily practice. This emphasizes the importance of observational studies in a real-world setting in order to evaluate the benefits and harms of a therapy in a wider population.

The PhD defences will not take place publicly in the usual way. A live stream link has been provided to candidate. The ceremony will begin exactly at 13.00.