Prospective Validation Study in JAAD Demonstrates Castle Biosciences' AdvanceAD-Tx™ Test Identifies Patients More Likely to Achieve Faster and Deeper Responses with JAK Inhibitor Therapy in Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Core Insights - Castle Biosciences announced the publication of a study demonstrating that its AdvanceAD-Tx test can effectively identify patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis who are more likely to respond positively to JAK inhibitor therapy compared to Th2-targeted therapies [1][2][8] Group 1: Study Findings - The AdvanceAD-Tx test identified approximately 30% of patients as having a JAK Inhibitor Responder Profile, who were 5.5 times more likely to achieve at least 90% improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI-90) within three months compared to those on Th2-targeted therapies (45.5% vs. 8.3%, p=0.021) [3][6] - Patients with the JAK Inhibitor Responder Profile achieved a response nearly four times faster than those treated with Th2-targeted therapies (p=0.049) [3][6] - The study also indicated that patients with a JAK Inhibitor Responder Profile reported higher rates of "no itch" (45.5% vs. 8.3%, p=0.021) and remained flare-free by three months (54.5% vs. 16.7%, p=0.041) [6][8] Group 2: Clinical Implications - The findings suggest that aligning systemic therapy selection with an individual patient's molecular profile can streamline care, reduce unnecessary treatment changes, and accelerate meaningful clinical improvement [5][8] - The AdvanceAD-Tx test provides objective molecular insights that can help clinicians make more confident, evidence-based treatment decisions earlier in the patient journey [5][8] - Patients identified with a Th2 Molecular Profile showed no statistically significant differences in outcomes when treated with either JAK inhibitors or Th2-targeted therapies, emphasizing the importance of personalized treatment decisions [4][8] Group 3: Product Overview - AdvanceAD-Tx is a non-invasive gene expression profile test designed for patients aged 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, evaluating 487 genes across 12 inflammatory and cutaneous biology pathways [2][6] - The test requires only lesional skin scrapings, eliminating the need for biopsies, and classifies patients into either a JAK Inhibitor Responder Profile or a Th2 Molecular Profile [2][7]