Beyond Hormones: Sex-Biased Gene Regulation in Human Skin Wound Healing
Grantee: Ning Xu Landén, Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet
Amount: DKK 3,998,400
Grant category: Serendipity Grants
Year: 2026
Geography: Sweden
Wounds do not always heal in the same way in everyone. Men and women can differ in how their skin repairs itself, but most research has focused on the effects of sex hormones. Our recent work suggests that the difference may go deeper: some genes that change during wound healing are also expressed differently in male and female skin. This project will explore whether male and female wounds use different molecular programs to repair damaged tissue. We will study human skin wounds using advanced technologies that allow us to analyze thousands of individual cells and see where important genes are active in the tissue. We will also study skin samples from transgender donors receiving hormone treatment, which may help us separate the effects of hormones from more intrinsic biological differences. Finally, we will test selected genes in human skin cell and wound models. This work may reveal new mechanisms of wound healing and support more precise treatments for chronic, non-healing wounds.
Memory ILC2s link chronic allergic inflammation to haematopoietic ageing
Grantee: Itziar Martinez Gonzalez, Assistant professor and Group Leader, Karolinska Institutet
Amount: DKK 3,995,250
Grant category: Serendipity Grants
Year: 2026
Geography: Sweden
Allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma often start early in life and can flare repeatedly. They are also linked to health problems outside the skin and lungs, including increased risk of blood clotting and cardiovascular disease, but the reasons are poorly understood. This project asks whether long-lasting “memory” immune cells involved in allergy, called ILC2s, can send signals to the bone marrow and change how blood cells are produced. We will use established mouse models of allergic inflammation together with advanced cell analysis, gene expression studies and functional tests of blood-forming stem cells. We will also compare key findings with human samples. By revealing how allergic inflammation affects the bone marrow, the project may uncover new explanations for allergy-associated comorbidities and identify future strategies to prevent long-term complications of allergic disease.