Rajka ISAD 2025 – A Landmark Symposium in the Asia-Pacific Region
History, Memory, and Retelling – From Rajka’s Legacy to the Future of Atopic Dermatitis
Melbourne, Australia | October 24–26, 2025
The 15th Georg RAJKA International Symposium on Atopic Dermatitis brought the global AD community together in Melbourne for a memorable event marking the centenary of Professor Georg RAJKA’s birth. Hosted by Prof. John C. SU with the support of the Australasian College of Dermatology, this edition celebrated both history and innovation in a setting reflecting the cultural richness of the Asia-Pacific region.
New Horizons for AD
The program reflected the dynamism of AD research worldwide, presenting new insights across immunology, barrier science, pruritus and neuroimmune crosstalk, and microbiome ecology.
- Immunity and Inflammation:
New work on T helper 2 cells, skin-resident lymphocytes, and neuroimmune crosstalk is refining our understanding of AD as a primary skin-barrier and low-threshold itch disorder with limited systemic inflammation that may still cause distant effects. - Barrier and Phenotypes:
The central role of barrier biology was revisited in the biologics era, with novel molecular profiles of Asian AD skin presented. - Microbiome and Exposome:
Advanced metagenomic approaches linking microbial activity, environmental exposure, and disease prediction were showcased. - Global Equity and Access:
The inclusion by ISAD of low-cost emollients in the WHO Essential Medicines List was celebrated as a milestone for equitable care worldwide. Future targets for the 2027 list include dupilumab and an oral JAK inhibitor for severe AD.
A Special Presence:
Prof. Peter C. DOHERTY
A highlight of the symposium was the presence of Prof. Peter C. DOHERTY, Nobel Laureate in Medicine (1996), whose pioneering work on T-cell immunity continues to inspire immunological research in AD and beyond. His participation in the President’s Dinner symbolized the strong scientific ties between immunology and dermatology — and between Australia and the world.
Asia-Pacific Momentum
ISAD 2025 underscored the leadership emerging from Asia-Pacific centers driving discovery in genetics, microbiome research, and translational medicine. The upcoming RAJKA-ISAD 2026 in Beijing, chaired by Prof. Lin MA, will further strengthen this regional momentum.
In 2028, the RAJKA Meeting will take place in Santiago de Chile (after Augsburg in 2027).
Please inform your networks!
A Meeting of Minds and Memories
Drawing on RICOEUR’s concept of “History, Memory, and Retelling,” ISAD 2025 honored Georg RAJKA’s enduring vision of interdisciplinarity — and revisited some of his forgotten contributions to the understanding of atopic dermatitis. Among these, his reflections on pruritus — which he, following JACQUET, described as “the itch that rashes” — were highlighted as part of a broader effort to reconnect with ideas that have shaped, and sometimes been lost in, the evolving narrative of AD.
In the spirit of renewal and connection — much like the Aboriginal Dreaming stories evoked in the opening ceremony — the Melbourne symposium reminded us that scientific progress is also a story of remembrance, reinterpretation, and shared humanity.