France

Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2026

Geography: France

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) affects millions of children and adults worldwide, yet patients and clinicians still lack shared international definitions of successful long-term disease control. ISAD, together with IEC and GADA, aims to develop a Treat-to-Target framework for atopic dermatitis, building on successful approaches used in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Preparatory scientific and methodological work will be supported by ISAD and partners. The present LEO Foundation application focuses on the main networking event at Rajka 2027 in Augsburg, where international experts and young investigators will meet for one day, with patient representative participation supported separately by ISAD, to review the emerging framework, discuss unresolved questions, and define priorities for implementation and future research.

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: France

Immunological memory allows the immune system to respond more effectively to specific pathogens upon a second encounter. Another type of memory exists in some immune cells, ‘inflammatory memory’, allowing an enhanced response to a subsequent exposure to a pathogen that is different from the initial one. It remains unknown whether this type of memory also develops following injury-related inflammation, in the absence of a pathogen. In this project, we will explore this question in the skin, using a model of skin wound. We will focus in particular on the potential impact of this phenomenon on wound healing and on opportunistic infections with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. This research project will allow a better understanding of the impact of this ‘inflammatory memory’ on skin diseases, including relapsing-remitting disorders. In the longer term, results from this project should also create novel opportunities for the treatment of chronic wounds and immune-mediated skin damage.

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: France

Skin color and protection from sunlight rely on the proper transfer of melanin from melanocytes to epidermal keratinocytes. In inflammatory skin conditions, this process is disrupted, causing abnormal pigment accumulation in dermal immune macrophage cells and leading to long-lasting dark spots known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). The mechanism driving these alterations is poorly understood, which limits therapeutic options. Our work reveals that melanin particles are coated with biological messengers named extracellular vesicles (EVs). This project will investigate whether melanin-associated EVs actively control the fate of released pigments and pigmented cells under normal and inflammatory conditions. By combining molecular analyses with human skin models, MELCOM aims to clarify how inflammation disrupts pigment and immune-epithelial cell behavior. The result will provide new insights into inflammatory pigmentary disorders and identify potential therapeutic targets.