Chemical compounds that impede the pathogenic effects of Staphylococcus aureus in atopic dermatitis
Grantee: Tim Tolker-Nielsen, Professor, University of Copenhagen
Amount: DKK 3,236,161
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2022
Geography: Denmark
The project by Tim Tolker-Nielsen aims to identify novel chemical compounds as potential drug leads for treating bacterial involvement in atopic dermatitis. The present project builds on findings from another LEO Foundation grant, which discovered a central factor, Sbi, responsible for the virulence (the ability to cause disease) of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus in atopic dermatitis flares. As this factor appears to be unique to that bacterium it can be targeted with minimal impact expected on beneficial commensal (i.e. non-pathogenic) bacteria. Tim and his team will utilize existing libraries of chemical compounds to screen for lead candidates that can prevent the production of Sbi and which may be developed into a future treatment for atopic dermatitis flares.
The LEO Foundation Award 2022 – Region Americas
Grantee: Dr. Shadmehr Demehri, Associate Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital
Amount: USD 100,000
Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards
Year: 2022
Geography: USA
Dr. Shawn Demehri is Associate Professor at the Department of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA.
He receives the award for his more than noteworthy contributions to the dermatology field, his truly exciting trajectory within skin research as well as his clinical skills. Dr. Demehri is a brilliant and exceptionally talented physician-scientist who leads a creative and accomplished research team studying the intersection between the immune system and early cancer.
SID Resident and Post Doc Retreat
Grantee: Society for Investigative Dermatology
Amount: EUR 15,000
Grant category: Education and Awareness Grants
Year: 2022
Geography: USA
The SID mission is to advance the sciences relevant to skin disease through education, advocacy and scholarly exchange of scientific information.
The Copenhagen Translational Skin Immunology Biobank and Research Program (BIOSKIN)
Grantee: University of Copenhagen
Amount: DKK 40,000,000
Grant category: Standalone grants
Year: 2021
Geography: Denmark
Add-on Grant for the Leo Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center. Herlev and Gentofte Hospital together with LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center at the University of Copenhagen establish a new research program and biobank with skin tissue and blood samples from 3,000 patients with illnesses such as psoriasis and eczema. The biobank is the first of its kind and will help shed light on some of the most common skin diseases. The goal is to collect data from 3,000 patients with skin diseases and in the long term also making data and knowledge available for researchers around the world.
The research program is established by the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center at the University of Copenhagen and the Department of Dermatology and Allergy at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital.
The program is supported with DKK 40 million from the LEO Foundation and co-financed with DKK 20 million from Herlev and Gentofte Hospital and LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center.
Unge Forskere (Young Scientists) 2022
Grantee: Mikkel Bohm, Astra
Amount: DKK 2,000,000
Grant category: Education and Awareness Grants
Year: 2021
Geography: Denmark
Unge Forskere is the largest talent competition in Denmark within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Target group is students in primary school and high school.
Unge Forskere contributes to both talent development through participation in the competition and strengthens the work with innovation, idea development and the natural science method in daily teaching. Furthermore, it strengthens the natural science identity and the general science education among children and young people in Denmark.
Bloom Festival 2022
Grantee: Svante Lindeburg, Golden Days
Amount: DKK 500,000
Grant category: Education and Awareness Grants
Year: 2021
Geography: Denmark
Bloom is an innovative festival about science and nature, which enlighten us on the universe, the World, and ourselves.
It takes place in the lush Søndermarken in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, where some of the World’s greatest scientists, poets and philosophers have found inspiration through history.
In recent years, Bloom has extended to become a year-round platform for science communication, which includes, e.g., the digital magazine Bloom Explore with videos, podcasts and essays, Summer Bloom at Geopark Odsherred, Bloom School targeted at 7th – 9th grade students, and a coming book series from Gyldendal.
By uniting the best from the worlds of festivals and science, Bloom aims to take on Life’s greatest questions through debates, talks, laboratories, conversations, and nature walks.
Big Bang 2022 – Denmark’s largest natural science conference
Grantee: Mikkel Bohm, Astra
Amount: DKK 1,000,000
Grant category: Education and Awareness Grants
Year: 2021
Geography: Denmark
Big Bang is Denmark’s largest conference for teachers, teacher students, didactics, and researchers involved in natural science education. The purpose of Big Bang is to strengthen participants’ network, cooperation, and knowledge sharing.
The conference is held annually and gathers more than 1,000 people for two inspiring days with relevant keynote speakers, a humming exhibition atmosphere, interactive workshops, and novel ideas for the continued renewal and improvement of the Danish natural science education.
As good teachers are essential in developing children’s interest, knowledge, and skills within the natural sciences, Big Bang may in the long run incite more youngsters to choose an education and career within this important field.
The LEO Foundation Award 2021 – Region Asia-Pacific
Grantee: Dr. Satoshi Nakamizo, Assistant Professor, Kyoto University
Amount: USD 100,000
Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards
Year: 2021
Geography: Japan
Dr. Satoshi Nakamizo is Assistant Professor at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
He receives the award for his excellent dermatological research, focused on the roles of antigen-presenting cells in chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.
Development of predictive psoriasis response endotypes using single cell transcriptomics in ustekinumab responders versus non-responders
Grantee: Kevin Cooper, Professor, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Amount: DKK 3,653,532
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2021
Geography: USA
Among the biological treatments approved for the treatment of psoriasis, is ustekinumab, which is a monoclonal antibody targeting the shared p40 subunit of two cytokines, IL12 and IL23.
This project aims to improve psoriasis treatment by understanding why some psoriasis patients respond well to treatment with ustekinumab (responders) and others do not (non-responders). Interestingly, some non-responders to ustekinumab still respond well to inhibition of the IL23 pathway alone via the unique p19 subunit.
The pattern of differentially expressed genes among responders and non-responders may enable prediction of which intervention will be most beneficial for the individual patient. The plan is to compare single-cell transcriptomic analyses from both responders and non-responders to identify treatment response-linked gene expression patterns, so-called ‘endotypes’.
One size does not fit all for these biological therapeutics, and the goal is for the research to contribute to the development of a ‘companion diagnostic’, which is a diagnostic test used as a companion to a therapeutic drug to determine its applicability to a specific person, and thereby to personalized medicine in psoriasis.
Understanding the pathogenesis of steatocystoma multiplex
Grantee: Edel O'Toole, Professor, Queen Mary University of London
Amount: DKK 2,846,085
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2021
Geography: United Kingdom
This project, led by Edel O’Toole, aims to give new insights into the rare genetic skin disease, steatocystoma multiplex (SM) that may contribute to the development of a new treatment for affected individuals.
SM is a debilitating and embarrassing disorder, which presents as multiple smooth, yellow skin lumps or cysts distributed on the arms, trunk, neck, and underarm area. The lesions usually appear in the teenage years and for the severely affected patients with 100s to 1000s of cysts, these are a major burden causing disability and pain with frequent inflammation often mimicking infection.
The most common genetic defect is found in the gene coding for Keratin 17, a protein expressed in nails, hair follicles, skin on the palms and soles, and in sebaceous glands. The cysts in SM are believed to arise from the lining of these glands. The team will use single cell RNA sequencing and look at gene expression in individual cells lining the cyst and from the surrounding tissue, to understand the genetic differences. In parallel, the O’Toole group will engineer cells from the sebaceous gland with and without the defect in the Keratin 17 gene. These cells will be used to form 3D skin models and cysts that mimic SM. Finally, drugs that target pathways of interest identified from the RNA sequencing will be used to ‘treat’ the 3D model, thereby adding to the many insights around SM expected from this project.