Uncovering the cause of treatment resistance in autoimmune blistering disease
Grantee: Joanne Reed, Associate Professor, The University of Sydney, Australia
Amount: DKK 3,902,405
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2025
Geography: Australia
Autoimmune bullous disease is a condition where the patient’s immune system attacks their skin, causing painful blistering. Some patients develop blisters in the mouth, leading to difficulty eating and malnutrition or inflammation in the eye, which can cause blindness. There is no cure. Treatment involves suppressing the immune system but can lead to side effects and increased infections. Joanne Reed’s research will use new technology to investigate patient blood and skin samples left over from biopsies performed for diagnosis. The technology enables patient samples to be evaluated at an unprecedented level of detail to identify and study the immune cells and genes responsible for disease. This information will be used to develop a test that can predict patients at risk of severe symptoms to enable early intervention before permanent organ damage occurs. The detailed analysis of the disease-causing cells will also inform the development of new drugs that can specifically target these cells.
NyNano-Heal: New Nano-Healing Systems for Epidermolysis Bullosa
Grantee: Wojciech Chrzanowski, Professor of Nanomedicine, The University of Sydney, Australia
Amount: DKK 2,981,787
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2025
Geography: Australia
Imagine living with a condition where your skin is as fragile as a butterfly’s wings, constantly blistering and tearing. This is what people with Epidermolysis Bullosa experience. Existing treatments only provide temporary relief and do not address the root causes of the condition. Wojciech Chrzanowski and his team have created tiny multifunctional robots that are solution for this debilitating disease. These robots carry simultaneously healing substances and bacteria-fighting agents. The healing substances activate different cells in the body to address the genetic issues of EB. The bacteria-fighting agents help the immune system, speed up healing, and fight infections. They also restore the skin’s natural balance, which helps prevent new blisters. These robots are delivered precisely to the damaged skin using advanced materials. This new method targets multiple aspects of the disease and offers a complete solution that is superior to current treatments, providing hope for those with EB.
3D printing vascularised human skin implants from patient cells
Grantee: Kate Firipis, Research Officer, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Australia
Amount: DKK 3,481,609
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2025
Geography: Australia
Using advances in stem cell and tissue engineering technologies, Kate Firipis will develop lab-grown skin tissue with 3D printed blood vessels derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (stem cells that can be created from a single blood draw) as a personalised treatment for repairing large complex wounds. Improving skin reconstruction outcomes, including, aesthetics, function, blood vessel connection and removing the need to harvest healthy patient tissue that creates a secondary wound.