Explore our grantees and awardees

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: Denmark

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin condition worldwide. Its main symptom is chronic pruritus, an intense itch that severely disrupts patients’ sleep, mental health, and social well-being.

This urge to scratch is driven by a signalling molecule called Interleukin-31 (IL-31). To trigger the sensation of itch, IL-31 binds to a receptor on the cell surface transferring a signal to the inside that sets off a cascade of reactions. While this interaction is the key to unlocking the itch, the molecular details of the initiation mechanism remain a mystery.

Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM), a Nobel Prize-winning imaging technique, we can “”take a snapshot”” of IL-31 binding to its full-length receptor. This knowledge can help to design better and more specific treatments, especially for patients who do not respond to the current ones, to shut down the itch where it starts.

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: Spain

Discoid lupus erythematosus causes permanent scarring, hair loss and distress in over 500,000 people in Europe, predominantly women of childbearing age. When standard treatments fail, biological drugs exist but act systemically, cost around 10,000 euros per year, and are disproportionate for localised skin disease. Thalidomide as a pill achieves remission in 9 out of 10 patients, but causes nerve damage and is harmful in pregnancy, making indefinite treatment impossible.

We developed the world’s first topical thalidomide formulation: a cream that reduced lesions by 90% in mice while the drug stayed entirely in the skin, undetectable in blood, suggesting both risks could be eliminated.

This project will complete safety and efficacy studies to reach clinical trial, decode how the cream acts within the skin, opening the door to a new class of targeted topical drugs for autoimmune skin diseases, and identify biological markers to monitor treatment response without invasive procedures.

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: Austria

Skin plays a major role in our well-being. Its role depends on a balanced molecular “conversation” between skin cells and the microorganisms living on its surface – the skin microbiome. When this balance is lost, diseases can develop.

Skin microbiome research has relied on DNA-based methods that reveal which microbes are present, but not what they are doing or how human cells respond. This limits progress toward precision dermatology, because the role of skin microbes in health depends less on who they are than on what they are doing – their function.

This project will develop a new technology, skinmetaP, to decode this functional conversation. We will measure thousands of human and microbial skin proteins from a simple, non-invasive swab.

SkinmetaP will allow us to create the first functional map of human skin in health and disease, revealing mechanisms that drive inflammation and treatment response – an important step toward better therapies and more personalized dermatological care.

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: USA

Many skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and hair loss are caused by an overactive immune system. Two types of medications, PDE4 inhibitors and JAK inhibitors, can calm this immune response, but each has drawbacks. PDE4 inhibitors can cause nausea and headaches because they enter the brain, while JAK inhibitors may increase infection risk. Our research asks: what if we combine both medications at lower doses? This could provide better, synergistic treatment with fewer side effects. Building on our previous work understanding how these drugs work at the molecular level, we will use artificial intelligence and computer simulations to: (1) predict which drug modifications prevent brain entry; (2) find the best drug combinations; and (3) design new, safer medications. We expect this research could lead to more effective treatments for many people with inflammatory skin diseases, with fewer side effects than current options, improving the patient standard of care.

Grant category: Research Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: USA

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a skin disease in which the immune system attacks a protein called BP180 that helps hold the layers of the skin together. This causes itching, inflammation, and blistering, mainly in older adults. BP is becoming more common as the population ages, and it is still associated with a relatively high risk of death, showing the need for better treatments.

Research has been limited because current BP models are not close to real human skin. In this project, we will use human stem cells to grow miniature skin tissues, called skin organoids, that mimic key features of human skin. We will expose these organoids to disease-causing BP antibodies to study how skin damage begins, how the skin becomes fragile, and how the immune reaction develops. This work will improve our understanding of BP, reveal possible treatment targets, and create a new human model for developing and testing future therapies.

Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards

Year: 2026

Geography: USA

Dr. Sakeen Kashem is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco.

He received the prestigious ISID-LEO Foundation Award in Region Americas during the SID annual meeting in Chicago. The award recognizes Dr. Sakeen Kashem for his exceptional research record and innovative contributions at the intersection of neuroimmunology and dermatology.

The ISID-LEO Foundation Award – worth USD 100,000 – recognizes outstanding young researchers and scientists from around the world whose work represents an extraordinary contribution to skin research and has the potential to pave the way for new and improved treatments for skin diseases.

Grant category: Standalone grants

Year: 2026

Geography: Denmark

“Hudlægens Bord” is a cross-media project that delivers evidence-based knowledge about the skin and skin diseases through podcasts, videos, articles, and social media. Its aim is to combat misinformation and provide accessible, trustworthy information to a broad audience, including young adults, people living with skin diseases, and healthcare professionals. The podcast series is hosted by a dermatologist and places particular emphasis on communicating the latest knowledge and research on maintaining skin health and treating skin conditions. The project is developed and produced in close collaboration with a team of experienced science communication experts, ensuring high scientific quality and engaging dissemination across all formats.

Grant category: Education and Awareness Grants

Year: 2026

Geography: Denmark

The project aims to strengthen Danish pupils’ understanding of numbers and algebra through novel, research-based didactics. It combines two research approaches, læringsspor (“learning trajectories”) and kernepraksisser (“core practices”) to improve the mathematics teaching at 11 schools in Kalundborg. The project will reach about 200 students in the 5th grade within the municipality as a test case. Their 15 teachers and 8 local math supervisors will co-create educational material focused on fractions and equations together with researchers from University College Absalon. The purpose is to improve the students’ math competencies, support teachers’ professional development, enable peer-to-peer dissemination to other teachers, and contribute to providing a basis for a nationwide initiative. The developed material will become available for digital download for free after the project at www.paa-sporet.dk, and the results will be presented to interested parties at a closing conference in October 2027 and follow-up courses.

Grant category: LEO Foundation Visiting Researchers

Year: 2026

Geography: Türkiye

Behçet’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition that commonly causes recurring skin and mouth lesions, significantly affecting patients’ quality of life. The reasons why the immune system becomes overactive are not fully understood. This project aims to investigate whether substances circulating in the blood of patients contribute to immune cell activation and inflammation. By comparing blood samples from patients with Behçet’s disease and healthy individuals, we will explore blood over-immune activity and effects on skin involvements. Understanding these mechanisms may help explain why some patients experience more severe or persistent disease. The findings may help identify blood-based indicators of disease activity and support the development of more targeted treatments for inflammatory diseases.

Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2026

Geography: USA

The 18th International Symposium on Dendritic Cells (DC2026) will take place on October 11-14, 2026, in San Diego, USA. This international meeting brings together scientists and clinicians studying dendritic cells: immune cells that help the body decide when to fight infection or limit unnecessary inflammation. In the skin, dendritic cells play a particularly important role. The skin is the body’s largest immune organ and is constantly exposed to microbes, allergens, and environmental stress. When dendritic cell function is disturbed, it can lead to skin diseases such as psoriasis, dermatitis, infection, and skin cancer. With support from the LEO Foundation, DC2026 will include a dedicated skin-focused program with a plenary session, poster presentations, and networking activities. Funding will also support early-career researchers, helping them share new discoveries and build collaborations that advance skin health. More information: https://www.dc2026sandiego.com/