Published On: 2/28/2023

Longest Running Real World Dermatology Registry, TARGET-DERM, Offers Deep Insight into Complex Diseases

DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Real world evidence (RWE) leader, Target RWE, today shared new updates and insights from its longitudinal dermatology community of more than 4,000 patients, TARGET-DERM.

Target RWE recently announced the launch of 35 new disease state registries, which includes the entire spectrum of immune-mediated inflammatory conditions: Dermatology, Gastroenterology, and Rheumatology, to capture valuable real world patient data to better understand these complex conditions.

Established in 2019, TARGET-DERM was the first dermatology-specific real-world evidence registry established to focus on high unmet needs and rapidly evolving therapeutic options for patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Skin Conditions (IMISCs). Today, the TARGET-DERM community enrolls patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), hidradenitis suppurativa, chronic spontaneous urticaria, and alopecia areata.

"TARGET-DERM has been an exciting and future-oriented registry since its inception. Over the past several years, we have been able to take a deep dive into highly disruptive skin conditions to gain better perspective on the autoimmune dermatology landscape. This includes evaluating treatment options in populations not included in clinical trials, and analyzing connections between the diseases," said Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Co-Chair of the TARGET-DERM AD Steering Committee and Professor of Dermatology and Clinical Immunology, New York, NY. "It is our hope that this research can better inform how these conditions are approached and ultimately improve the lives of the millions of people who suffer from them."

A recent TARGET-DERM publication, Real-world evidence on atopic dermatitis: Baseline characteristics and predictors of treatment choice in the TARGET cohort, was recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, took a closer look at baseline characteristics and treatment trends among the adult, adolescent, and pediatric AD population.

The analysis showed variances by race: among non-Hispanic White participants, extremely/very large impact on quality of life was highly predictive of systemic treatment; however, for other racial/ethnic groups, there was no association between quality of life and systemic treatment initiation.

"This may indicate that providers differentially consider the perceived impact on quality of life when making treatment decisions, though there also may have been other influences," said Katrina Abuabara, MD, MSCE, MA, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Dermatology and first author on the publication. Dr. Abuabara is also a TARGET-DERM AD steering committee member.

By analyzing this large and diverse cohort of children and adults with AD from both academic and community settings, TARGET-DERM researchers found that the majority of participants were using topical steroids, nearly a third were receiving systemic treatment, and that older age, severity and impact were predictors of systemic treatment.

"Uncovering treatment trends and observing new treatments as they hit the market are critical uses of real-world data and analysis," said Dr. Abuabara. "Our hope is that these findings better inform providers on how they approach treatment decisions."

TARGET-DERM is also home to a unique biorepository that includes over 150,000 biospecimen samples from consented participants across a broad range of therapeutic indications, including hepatology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and other diseases. Samples are collected leveraging an IRB-approved protocol and linked to de-identified clinically validated data derived from patient medical records and patient research outcomes measures. The inventory includes whole blood, serum, plasma, saliva, tissue, and tape strips. Biospecimens are collected, handled, and stored according to validated standard operating procedures and robust quality requirements.

In addition to the biorepository, Target RWE aggregates consented patient-generated health data from both adult and pediatric participants by leveraging robust patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, surveys, and questionnaires. TARGET-DERM captures data derived from more than 25 patient-reported measures (e.g., PROMIS, POEM, NRS, UKWPC, DLQI, etc.) which are collected from both adult and pediatric participants at consent and on a quarterly basis thereafter.

Including TARGET-DERM AA and HS, the registry now has 4,000+ patients across 34 active sites in the United States and Canada. Highlights include:

• Atopic Dermatitis (AD) – more than 3,200 participants in the AD cohort, including 55% adult participants and 45% pediatric patients.
• Alopecia Areata (AA) - more than 350 participants in the AA cohort.
• Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) - more than 700 participants in the HS cohort, with the majority (91.6%) 18 or older.

Target RWE will be attending the AAD Annual Meeting, March 17-21, 2023 in New Orleans, booth #922. Follow us on Twitter (@TargetRWE) and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest news!

To learn more about TARGET-DERM and other real-world data communities, visit Target RWE.com.