Factors maintaining tertiary lymphoid aggregates in Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Grantee: Timothy Vyse, Professor, King's College London, UK
Amount: DKK 3,941,580
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Discoid lupus (DLE) is an autoimmune disease giving rise to disfiguring facial lesions, with limited drug options. DLE lesions contain dense accumulations of B and T lymphocytes, but the reasons they develop, persist and recur is currently unknown. DLE’s systemic counterpart, SLE, affects many organs throughout the body. We can utilise the overlap between these related conditions to ask whether similar mechanisms might operate in both DLE and SLE. In systemic lupus, engagement between co-stimulatory molecules on the T and B cell surface drives B cell survival and produces a co-stimulatory effect. We will investigate whether a similar mechanism operates in lesion-resident B cells to promote lesion persistence and identify the cell surface molecules implicated. We will discover whether specific immune cofactors in the skin prevent cessation of the costimulatory signal. If successful, blocking co-stimulatory signals on B cells from DLE may provide the basis of future drug discovery.
Decoding the evolution of anti-fungal immunity in the human skin
Grantee: Christina Zielinski, Professor, University of Cambridge, UK
Amount: DKK 3,985,414
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Fungal skin infections affect up to a quarter of people worldwide. They can also recur, spread and become life-threatening, especially in immunocompromised patients. This shows that our immune system does not always develop lasting and efficient protection. In particular, we don’t know why protective immune memory works so well against viruses but fails against fungi. Our project will study how special immune cells called T cells respond to fungal infections in the skin. By following patients with fungal skin infections over time, and comparing skin and blood samples, we will track how these immune cells are generated, maintained, or lost and what molecular weapons they use to fight the infection. We will use state-of-the-art and unique methodologies from our laboratory, allowing in-depth analysis of millions of T cells simultaneously at single-cell resolution. These insights could reveal new ways to strengthen our natural defenses and lay the foundation for future therapies.
Dissecting the role of the ageing tissue microenvironment in inflammatory immune responses within human skin
Grantee: John Connelly, Professor, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Amount: DKK 3,501,669
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
The normal healthy functions of our skin significantly decline with age, and these changes increase the risk of infection, chronic wounds, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Therefore, understanding the biological mechanisms underlying skin ageing is essential to protect against age-related diseases and maintain healthy skin function. The aim of this project is to dissect the cellular, biochemical, and mechanical processes of skin ageing and to directly test how they impact key functions, including tissue homeostasis and immunity. We will take advantage of state-of-the-art imaging and genomic methods available within our institution to profile the ageing process, and advanced 3D culture models of human skin will be used to test key genes and biochemical pathways. The results will provide fundamental insights into human skin ageing, and over the long term, they have the potential to identify key therapeutic targets for counteracting or preventing age-related skin diseases.
A 3D printed solution to the Fingertip Unit problem
Grantee: Oisín Kavanagh, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Amount: DKK 1,293,996
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Medicated creams and ointments are used to treat millions of people every day. Despite this, inconsistent drug delivery remains a long-standing issue. While Finlay’s Fingertip Unit was introduced in 1973 to address this gap, there is still a challenge in delivering consistent doses of topical medicines for small lesions, such as those seen in paediatrics. This issue is particularly relevant today with the introduction of incredibly potent topical medicines. Oisín Kavanagh’s project aims to design an adjustable adapter that enables patients to accurately control the amount of medication they apply to their skin. During the design process, Oisín Kavanagh and his team will collaborate with patients and their carers to ensure that this product meets their needs.
Skin bacteria control of sensory function in response to environmental perturbations
Grantee: Simone Di Giovanni, Professor, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Amount: DKK 3,997,382
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Skin innervation is our sensory interface with the ever-changing environment undergoing fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Sensation needs to account for these fluctuations to regulate sense of touch, pain, movement, learning and memory, sexual and social conduct. More than 100 million bacteria that reside on the human skin are the first line of response to environmental perturbations. Variable humidity, salinity, temperature, and oxygen affect bacteria metabolism and diversity. Simone Di Giovanni therefore hypothesise that bacteria are required for sensory function affecting complex behaviours in response to perturbations in temperature and humidity. This bears implications for human physiology, health and resilience on earth.