The LEO Foundation Award 2024 – Region Asia-Pacific

Grantee: Satoru Yonekura, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University, Japan

Amount: USD 100,000

Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards

Year: 2024

Geography: Japan

Satoru Yonekora is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Dermatology at Kyoto University in Japan

He was awarded the prestigious LEO Foundation Award 2024 in Region Asia-Pacific during the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Satoru Yonekura’s research has contributed to new insights into how gut health influences melanoma and inflammatory skin diseases.

Learn more

Understanding the mechanism of local immune induction from the perspective of induced skin-associated lymphoid tissue (iSALT)

Grantee: Kenji Kabashima, Professor, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Amount: DKK 4,000,000

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2024

Geography: Japan

Kenji Kabashima’s project explores the hypothesis that skin possesses the capacity for independently initiating acquired immune responses. More specifically, it aims to investigate the hypothesis that “skin functions as a site for induction of diverse immune responses” by leveraging the inducible skin-associated lymphoid tissue (iSALT) previously discovered by Kenja Kabashima and his team. The objectives are to establish a novel method for local immune manipulation utilizing iSALT and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the induction of various immune responses within the local skin environment. To achieve these goals, an innovative approach is proposed: combining verification of iSALT existence in human skin, functional characterization of iSALT, application of 3D bioprinter technology, development of human skin organoids, implementation of cutting-edge skin imaging techniques, and utilization of multi-omics analyses. The expected outcomes include elucidation of molecular mechanisms governing immune regulation in local skin areas, potential applications in treating immunological and inflammatory skin diseases, and insights into managing skin malignancies.

The results of Kenji Kabashima’s research have the potential to significantly advance our understanding of skin immunology and open new avenues for therapeutic interventions in dermatological conditions.

JSID Young Investigator Event

Grantee: Akimichi Morita, JSID

Amount: EUR 25,000

Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2024

Geography: Japan

To strengthen the interactions between young scientists a collegiality night and a symposium are arranged in conjunction with the 49th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID).

The mission of JSID  is to advance the position of dermatology in the interdisciplinary world and to enhance the quality of science and research presentations in dermatology for the purposes of maintaining healthy skin and further advancing the treatment of skin diseases.

Learn more