What Will Precision Dermatology Look Like in Atopic Dermatitis?

In another segment of his latest interview, Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, associate professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, described his views on the future of precision medicine in the atopic dermatitis space, speaking with HCPLive during a conversation at the 2026 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Conference in Nashville.1,2

Bunick noted both the progress made so far toward this future and the scientific challenges that will continue to be seen before clinicians can reliably predict which medications will be best for individuals. He explained while atopic dermatitis therapy has entered an era of unprecedented therapeutic expansion, a true precision medicine future remains a work in progress.

“It's going to take a lot more understanding of what drives atopic dermatitis,” Bunick explained. “For example, understanding how OX40 ligand-targeted drugs, or any other drug, whether it's JAK inhibitors or the other biologics that are currently approved, may or may not cause disease modification requires us to actually study how are memory T-cells affected over short and long courses of therapy.”

He described current research efforts, including gene expression profiling, as having begun to provide key findings on how individuals may respond to different therapeutic classes, such as biologics and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. However, Bunick also emphasized the field as not having yet attained a level whereby clinicians can confidently implement molecular signatures alone with the aim of matching patients with the optimal course of therapy.

According to Bunick, attaining that goal will involve gaining a much deeper understanding of the immunologic mechanisms known to drive atopic dermatitis. While cytokines such as IL-4, IL-13, and others have become important targets, he described researchers in this space as increasingly looking upstream in the disease process. Emerging investigations are assessing how immune cells contribute to disease activity and long-term disease control.

Bunick further explored the concept of disease modification, noting the increasing prominence of the topic as new therapeutic targets begin clinical development. The growing interest in drugs targeting pathways such as OX40/OX40 ligand, STAT6, and other immune regulators that may influence the underlying biology of the disease was highlighted by Bunick. An awareness of how these medications impact immune memory and long-term inflammatory responses may ultimately help determine whether durable disease modification is a potential aim for the future.

In his interview, Bunick additionally pointed to advances in transcriptomics, proteomics, and cellular immunology as areas that could potentially play a major role in the future of therapy prediction. Through the integration of molecular profiling with a deeper understanding of immune system behavior, those conducting such research may eventually be able to identify which patients will be most likely to see positive results from specific drugs prior to initiation of treatment.

Bunick has reported receiving consultant fees or serving as an investigator for AbbVie, Incyte, LEO Pharma and Pfizer.

References

1. Nguyen H, Bunick C, Cotter D, Shahriari M. Medical Crossfire and Clinical Case Challenge. Session presented at: 2026 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis Conference; June 17-19, 2026; Nashville, TN.

2. Bunick C. Highlighting FDA-Approved Therapies in Atopic Dermatitis, With Chris Bunick, MD, PhD. HCPLive. June 25, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/highlighting-fda-approved-therapies-atopic-dermatitis-chris-bunick-md-phd.