P32 Cellular and molecular basis of pruritus in keloid scars

Abstract Introduction and aims Keloids are a type of scar characterized by abnormal collagen deposition and expansion beyond the wound boundary. Besides the unwanted aesthetics, keloids can also produce severe pruritus, leading to patients experiencing decreased health-related quality of life. Unfortunately, a lack of research means the source of this sensation is unknown. Therefore, this study aims to explore itch-specific targets for therapeutic purposes. Methods People living with keloids were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their keloid itch status. A list of putative itch mediators was assembled using a literature search. Using three published single-cell RNA sequencing datasets of keloid scars, the expression of itch mediators will be explored and cell subset sources ascertained. The future work will include growing the specific cell populations that differentially express the identified itch genes and explore the interference with the nervous system. Results Survey results (n = 96) highlighted that itch is prevalent across the keloid population and can be moderate to severe in severity. Standard intralesional steroid injections lead to no improvement or worsening of symptoms in the majority of cases. These results highlighted the need to address the specific source(s) of keloid itch in order to develop targeted treatments. The next steps will be to analyse three published single-cell RNA sequencing datasets of keloid scars, and cross-reference cell subset expression with a list of literature-sourced putative itch mediators to identify potential sources of keloid-specific itch. Conclusions We have confirmed that itch is a significant issue for people living with keloids. Next steps will be to identify cells expressing putative itch mediators by single-cell RNA sequencing. This will be followed by validation studies using ex vivo labelling of the identified molecular targets in keloid tissue samples.