Inflammatory Skin Disease Detection With Epithelial Transition Markers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for testing the presence, likelihood, severity, and progression of inflammatory skin diseases like atopic dermatitis are invasive and lack sensitivity, particularly for pediatric patients where blood sampling is difficult.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the measurement of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers such as N-cadherin, vimentin, and Twist in biological samples like skin or hair follicles, using immunoassays, to determine the presence, likelihood, severity, and progression of inflammatory skin diseases.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If blood sampling is used to measure TARC and SCCA2 for diagnosing atopic dermatitis, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in collecting blood samples from pediatric patients

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensitivity of biomarker detectionVSAvoiddifficulty of sample collection

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses TGM3 (transglutaminase 3) as an intermediary marker that can be detected in urine samples. TGM3 is produced by keratinocytes in the epidermis and is excreted in urine, serving as a mediator that reflects epidermal status without requiring direct blood sampling. This intermediary approach maintains diagnostic sensitivity while eliminating the operational difficulty of blood collection from pediatric patients

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical intervention of blood sampling with a non-invasive urine collection method. By substituting the sampling mechanism from invasive (blood draw) to non-invasive (urine collection), the patent maintains the ability to detect disease markers while dramatically improving ease of operation, especially for pediatric patients where blood collection is challenging

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If blood sampling is performed for inflammatory skin disease testing, then reliability of diagnosis is improved, but object-affected harmful factors increase due to invasive procedure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic accuracyVSAvoidinvasiveness of sampling method

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

TGM3 serves as an intermediary biomarker that reliably reflects epidermal inflammation and disease activity without requiring invasive blood sampling. The marker is produced in the epidermis by keratinocytes and excreted in urine, providing a reliable diagnostic signal through a non-invasive pathway that eliminates the harmful effects of needle puncture and blood collection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the invasive blood collection mechanism with a non-invasive urine collection system. This replacement eliminates the harmful factors associated with invasive procedures (pain, bleeding, infection risk) while maintaining diagnostic reliability through detection of TGM3 in urine, which correlates with disease activity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If conventional biomarkers like TARC and SCCA2 are measured in blood, then presence of disease can be detected, but simplicity of test technique deteriorates due to complex sampling and processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisease detection capabilityVSAvoidsimplicity of test procedure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces TGM3 as a simpler intermediary marker that can be detected in urine without the complex processing required for blood-based TARC and SCCA2 measurements. TGM3 detection in urine eliminates the need for complex blood processing steps while maintaining the ability to detect disease presence and monitor activity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the complex blood sampling and processing system with a simple urine collection and analysis system. This substitution dramatically simplifies the test technique by eliminating venipuncture, blood coagulation, centrifugation, and plasma preparation steps, while maintaining reliable disease detection through TGM3 measurement in urine

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4600646A1Method for detecting inflammatory skin disease and judging severity thereof

Publication Date: 2025.08.13 NANOEGG RES LAB

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Figure 3(A)~3(C)

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a technique for examining the acquisition risk of an inflammatory skin disease, the severity or the degree of progression thereof. The present disclosure provides a method for analyzing a biological sample collected from a test subject to examine the presence/absence of the acquisition of an inflammatory skin disease, the acquisition risk, the severity and/or the degree of progression thereof in the test subject, the method including a step for measuring the amount and/or concentration of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition marker in the biological sample collected from the test subject.