Development of a mast cell-integrated human skin equivalent as a standardized platform to study mast-cell biology and mast-cell-mediated inflammatory skin disorders
Grantee: Pål Johansen, Dep. Head of Research, University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland
Amount: DKK 2,541,401
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2026
Geography: Switzerland
Skin diseases such as mastocytosis, chronic hives, and atopic dermatitis involve immune cells called mast cells (MCs) and affect much people. Such conditions severely reduce quality of life, and many patients do not respond well to existing treatments. A major reason for the slow development of better therapies is that research still relies on animal models, which do not fully reflect human skin biology, or on limited patient samples. This project aims to address this problem by developing the first fully human, scaffold-free skin model that contains functional MCs. This innovative model closely mimics natural human skin and allows researchers to study how MCs cause inflammation and damage the skin barrier under realistic conditions. It will enable testing of new treatments directly in a human-based system, reducing the need for animal experiments. This project will improve our understanding of MC-driven skin diseases and help accelerate the discovery of better therapies for patients.