Filaggrin Gene: Link Between Eczema and Asthma

W.H. Irwin McLean, Professor of Human Genetics and head of the Division of Molecular Medicine, University of Dundee, Scotland, shares the story of how he and his colleagues found mutations in the filaggrin gene. Mutations in the filaggrin gene greatly reduce the amount of filaggrin protein in the skin or lead to its complete absence, resulting in cracks in the skin barrier that exposes the lower layers to allergens that are usually kept out, thus causing eczema.

Read Professor McLean’s article published in The Scientist > > >