BIOMAP Results

BIOMAP’s integrative approach has delivered foundational insights into the pathobiology of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. By identifying stable and dynamic disease endotypes and providing candidate biomarkers, the project is paving the way toward proactive, stratified care models.

The infrastructure developed, such as the data platform and security model, glossary for harmonisation, analytic tools, and resources generated, such as harmonised datasets, biomarker findings, and model systems, are set to inform future research and innovation in precision medicine. These developments carry potential socio-economic benefits through improved disease classification, risk prediction, treatment selection, and drug development.

A number of these results are in the process of being matopic dermatitise available as part of a sustainability effort to foster further collaborations and progress.

Overview of BIOMAP Results

• A robust European Clinical Research Network was built and supported extensive data/sample sharing.
• A pan-European virtual biobank and Data Portal were established and sustained, hosting harmonised clinical and omics data across cohorts. A robust and secure...

The final BIOMAP consortium meeting was held in Paris in the end of March, bringing together more than 50 consortium members to reflect on achievements, share insights, and discuss future directions.

The final project meeting was opened on 25th March by a public patient webinar with 60+ participants from across Europe! Engaged discussions and a dynamic Q&A session reinforced the importance of making our research accessible. The recording and presentations of the webinar are available here: https://biomap-imi.eu/patients/webinar

On the following two days, 26 and 27 March, the entire project consortium then came together for a last time to reflect on scientific highlights, share learnings and discuss results.

Over two days we:
🔍 Showcased key scientific highlights and personal reflections
📊 Discussed findings from our Task Forces on endotypes, severity, comorbidities, and data visualization
🤝 Collaborated in breakout sessions to shape BIOMAP’s future impact
🧭 Engaged in an Embedded Ethics workshop
🎞️ Looked back on six incredible years with a special photo show
🍽️ Celebrated at a final dinner, marking the end of a remarkable journey, but not the end of BIOMAP!

What’s next?

At least six major publications will be released in the coming months, along with lay summaries and...

Presentation slides and the meeting recording are now available!

A fantastic public patient webinar took place last month, with around 60 participants from across Europe gathering to learn about BIOMAP’s latest results. After several exciting presentations, the session was wrapped up with a lively Q&A session.

The feedback was very positive, and attendees appreciated the time and dedication of the BIOMAP patient board members, Andrew Proctor (National Eczema Society) and Lars Werner (EUROPSO), as well as the BIOMAP scientists and clinicians, who shared insights and results beyond the BIOMAP network.

💡 What was on the agenda?

Following a short introduction by the BIOMAP coordinator Stephan Weidinger (Kiel University), the agenda featured these scientific presentations in lay language:

📌 What is BIOMAP? Alexandra Hicks, Sanofi (BIOMAP Project Lead)
📌 Why do eczema and psoriasis vary from person to person? Sara Brown, University of Edinburgh
📌 Why do some people develop more severe disease? Lavinia Paternoster, University of Bristol
📌 How does our skin microbiome contribute to eczema? Jan Hartmann, Kiel University
📌 What happens in the skin when it’s inflamed? Rowann Bowcutt, UCB

The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion and Q&A, chaired by Catherine Smith (King’s College London) and Andrew...

📢 We invite you to a FREE online patient meeting! This is a unique opportunity to explore the complexities of eczema and psoriasis with leading BIOMAP experts.

🗓️ When? 25 March 2025, 17:30–19:00 CET / 16:30–18:00 GMT
💻 Where? Online via Zoom
✍️ How to join? Register now via this link: https://sanofi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Iamlsu2JQr2lHbrTSA0q8g#/registration

💡 What’s on the agenda?
📌 What is BIOMAP?
📌 Why do eczema and psoriasis vary from person to person?
📌 Why do some people get more severe disease?
📌 How does our skin microbiome contribute to eczema?
📌 What’s happening in the skin when it’s inflamed?

💬 The meeting will conclude with a roundtable discussion and a Q&A, where you can ask your questions and share your thoughts!

👥 Don’t miss this chance to engage with experts and fellow people living with eczema or psoriasis and learn about our research!

🔗 Register Now to secure your spot!

The BIOMAP Annual Consortium Meeting was held on 10-11 June 2024 in the beautiful city of Vienna, marking two days of insightful discussions and forward-thinking presentations dedicated to advancing precision medicine for skin diseases.

The meeting started with a warm welcome address by Andreas Kugi, Scientific Director of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, and Nikolaus Forgó, Director of the Institute for Innovation and Digitalisation in Law of the University of Vienna. Patrick Brunner from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai then gave an inspiring key note talk on the future of precision medicine for skin disease. After opening remarks by project leader Alexandra Hicks from Sanofi and coordinator Stephan Weidinger from the University of Kiel, the BIOMAP Task Forces on Endotypes and Data Visualisation presented their publication outlines on key project outputs. Task Force Leaders Matthias Hübenthal (Endotypes) and Phil Scordis (Data Visualisation) explained the methods used, results generated, discussion points and conclusions, ongoing activities and concrete publication plans. Each session was followed by a lively discussion, to which researchers from all BIOMAP Work Packages and diverse research areas contributed, powerfully joining perspectives and forces to drive the BIOMAP key outputs to closure in...

Atopic dermatitis or eczema is a common allergic disease that affects up to 20% of children and 10% of adults. In order to develop effective treatments it is important to understand more about the underlying causes, particularly the genetic factors, that increase people’s risk of having the condition. This is a driver for our research.

Several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been performed and have identified genetic regions associated with risk of eczema, including our previous GWAS within the EAGLE (Early Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology) consortium. In our latest paper we shared how, with the availability of new large population-based studies, we performed the largest and most comprehensive GWAS of atopic dermatitis to date. The study looked at data from 4.6 million individuals across multiple ancestry groups. It has identified additional risk loci and found evidence of some ancestry specific signals.

We identified 91 loci associated with atopic dermatitis, 32 of which were novel. Most loci were confirmed in individuals of diverse genetic ancestry (European, Japanese, Latino and/or...

By Gareth Willmer

Psoriasis affects around 2% of people worldwide, including more than 6 million people in Europe.

In his mid-teens during the 1970s, Maarten de Wit had severe joint pain in multiple parts of his body. He had to wait another three years until the age of 19 before being diagnosed with arthritis.

‘At the time, arthritis was seen as something for the elderly and not a teenager,’ said de Wit, a Dutch native who is now 62 years old.

Detection difficulty

De Wit’s form of arthritis is hard to diagnose and can seriously limit daily activity. Called psoriatic arthritis, or PsA, it frequently stems from a non-communicable skin disease named psoriasis, which causes skin cells to grow faster than usual and results in itchy and scaly patches mainly on the elbows, knees and scalp.

Over the past two decades, advances have been made in treating PsA even as detection remains difficult. De Wit said his own condition has improved since the advent in the 2000s of a group of medicines that include immune modulators, monoclonal antibodies and blood products (and that are collectively...

On 21-22 September, the BIOMAP consortium gathered for its annual meeting at the beautiful premises of UCB in Brussels, Belgium.

The meeting began with an inspiring welcome from Dhaval Patel, UCB's Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. "There is no competition in how diseases affect people," said Dhaval Patel. He emphasised the importance of BIOMAP research: "You have the data, you have the opportunity to make a difference for people living with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis". After the welcome address, Kymmene Dawson, who lives with severe atopic eczema, gave an honest and brave insight into how the condition affects her life. A huge thank you from the entire BIOMAP team for her willingness to contribute to our meeting and for reminding us all once again why we do research. The morning continued with general updates from the BIOMAP work packages, including reports on bioinformatics and microbiome-related research, as well as from the thematic task forces, which have made great progress since their kick-off at the last annual meeting in October 2022. The afternoon was dedicated to task force roundtable discussions, focusing on key issues, synergies and the development of clear action plans to achieve results. The day was rounded...

The MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol is recruiting a Postdoctoral Senior Research Associate in molecular epidemiology/bioinformatics to analyse molecular data generated in the frame of the BIOMAP project. You will be a key member of the statistical analysis team that determines causal relationships between molecular traits and Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis subtypes to identify potential target mechanisms. If you have experience of analysing methylation or gene expression data or Mendelian randomization you are highly encouraged to apply.

Find the full job profile and apply here.

BIOMAP researcher Lavinia Paternoster, Associate Professor from the University of Bristol, has won one of three LEO Foundation Awards for 2023.

The awards, each worth USD 100,000, recognise outstanding young researchers and scientists from around the world whose work represents an extraordinary contribution to skin research and has the potential to pave the way for new and improved treatments for skin diseases. The award winners were celebrated at an award ceremony during the ISID 2023 meeting in Tokyo, Japan, an event bringing together excellent skin researchers from all over the world.

Lavinia receives the LEO Foundation Award in Region EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) for her research pushing the boundaries of our knowledge on the important genetic components underlying several skin diseases. Lavinia’s work has led to important breakthroughs in the understanding of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and other complex human disorders.

We are very proud of Lavinia and send her our best congratulations!

Read more about Lavinia's work and achievements on the official award website:
https://leo-foundation.org/en/2023/05/10/award-winner-broadening-our-understanding-of-the-genetics-behind-atopic-dermatitis/