Explore our grantees and awardees

Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

The Barrier Function of Mammalian Skin conference theme is “An Intelligent and Personalized Skin Barrier: Integration and Translation of Cell and Molecular Biology, Bioengineering and Physical Chemistry”. Keynote sessions include presentations on topics such as “Inflammation in Barrier Function and Dysfunction”, “Big Data to Knowledge: Models, Diagnostics and Therapies” and “The “Next Big Question on the Skin Barrier”. 

The Gordon Research Conferences are renowned for their excellent scientific programs and are unique in that each conferee agrees that any information presented at a Gordon Research Conference or Gordon Research Seminar, whether in a formal talk, poster session, or discussion, is a private communication from the individual making the contribution and is presented with the restriction that such information is not for public use. 

Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

The Montagna Symposia on the Biology of Skin are a very well-established conference, similar to a Gorden Conference, bridging the gap between basic research and dermatology. The meeting brings together scientists and physicians from academics to industry to foster interdisciplinary communication and collaboration in basic, translational and clinical research and practice, facilitating development of new collaborations, research and therapies for cancer, inflammatory diseases and other skin conditions. It provides a venue for the participation of high-profile, established speakers and up-and-coming stars in skin disease research and dermatology practice from around the world. The meeting facilitates the coming together of established researchers and clinicians with residents, fellows, and students; and representatives from government, foundations, and industry in a variety of fields and specialties, fostering the cross-pollination of ideas that is at the heart of breakthroughs in translational dermatology. 

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

Macrophages, especially anti-inflammatory macrophages, are essential biological players in the process of dermal wound healing. However, maintaining an M2 phenotype within the inflamed wound microenvironment is quite challenging due to secretion of inflammatory cytokines from the wound. To overcome this limitation, Samir Mitragotri and his team have invented polymer micro-disks (“backpacks”) that carry potent anti-inflammatory agents. These “backpacks” are uniquely designed to possess a discoidal shape which keeps them attached to the monocyte/macrophage surface without them being taken up by the cell, and ensures continuous delivery of the anti-inflammatory agents to the cell carrying the backpack without elevating systemic drug concentrations. The project aims to develop a protocol to deliver such “backpack”-laden monocytes only once into the wound, where they can differentiate into macrophages and maintain themselves in the anti-inflammatory phenotype for an adequate time period to induce wound healing. The “backpack” technology has been pioneered by Samir Mitragotri and his lab. This novel strategy appears to have a unique advantage to control macrophage phenotype only for a pre-determined time, thus representing a promising new approach to dermal wound healing treatment.

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

Joshua Moreau’s project investigates the potential role of B cells (antibody-producing immune cells) in the inflammatory skin disease, hidradenitis suppurativa to create a foundation for future therapeutic approaches.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a painful skin disease characterized by highly inflamed lesions. While the causes of lesion progression are not well understood, this inflammation is often marked by accumulation of an immune cell subset called B cells. In certain contexts, B cells cause damage to the body and perpetuate inflammatory responses, however, for this to happen these cells need to undergo a process of maturation to become antibody-producing plasma cells. In this project, Joshua Moreau aims to understand if B cells accumulating in HS affected skin mature into disease perpetuating plasma cells.

To do this, Joshua Moreau and his team will utilize a technique called spatial transcriptomics technology that allows them to track B cell maturation across a skin sample. This, in turn, will allow them to determine if plasma cells originate at the site of inflammation in the skin.

Additionally, the team will explore avenues for blocking B cell maturation specifically within the skin using advanced human skin tissue culturing approaches.

Collectively, these experiments may provide currently missing insight into the disease-causing potential of B cells in HS and form a foundation for targeting them therapeutically.

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

The project of Emma Guttman aims to develop an improved understanding of the molecular basis of chronic hand and foot eczema to guide future treatment approaches.

Chronic hand and foot eczema is a highly prevalent disorder, affecting up to 15% of the overall population, and represents an enormous socio-economic and psychosocial burden. The condition is often refractory to conventional treatments. In addition, chronic hand and foot eczema shows considerable inter- and intra-patient heterogeneity, further complicating treatment options.

Importantly, overall pathophysiological mechanisms are still only insufficiently understood, as skin biopsies from these areas are very difficult to obtain due to the location in which it may implicate local pain, wounds, and visible scars. Thus, better sampling methods are urgently needed.

Emma Guttman and her team propose to use tape stripping, a non-invasive method that targets the outermost layers of the skin, to collect lesional and non-lesional skin samples. Through a multi-omics approach, including transcriptomic (looking at gene expression) and multiplex proteomic methods (looking at active proteins), these samples will be used for improved molecular and genetic understanding of chronic hand and foot eczema. Their study will include samples from adult patients with different forms of chronic hand and foot eczema, stratified for specific locations, severity, and clinical subtypes. Results will be compared to matched healthy control individuals.

If successful, results obtained from Emma Guttman’s investigation may identify disease-causing factors specific for chronic hand eczema subsets and locations, that could guide future targeted treatment approaches in a more personalized or stratified manner.

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

Charles (Chiwei) Xu’s project aims to investigate the molecular basis for cutaneous neuropathies (i.e., sensation of pain, numbness or fatigue caused by neural damage).

Mouse skin contains a dense network of nerve endings and is a good system to study interactions between the peripheral nervous system and barrier tissues in mammals. Intriguingly, axons (the elongated, signal-transducing sections) of sensory neurons are closely associated with hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) in the skin, and Charles Xu has identified ligand-receptor pairs that mediate signaling between the two cell types. Specifically, he has identified the HFSC-derived parathyroid-hormone-like hormone (Pthlh) as a top candidate factor required for sensory innervation. Charles Xu has also established that Pthlh signals through the receptor Pth1r in sensory neurons. To further study crosstalk between HFSCs and sensory neurons, he has established a 3D co-culture system of these cells. Using that system, he aims to further characterize Pthlh-Pth1r signaling in the context of direct HFSC-sensory neuron interactions in vitro. He also aims to investigate the physiological relevance in an in vivo mouse model. In doing so, Charles Xu and his team aim to establish a versatile technical platform to study cutaneous neuropathies, which are common disorders where there is currently a lack of both mechanistic understanding and effective treatment.

Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

Dr. William Damsky is Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine in the US.

He receives the award for his noteworthy contributions to the understanding of inflammatory skin diseases, as he particularly looks to expand our presently incomplete understanding of the cutaneous diseases Sarcoidosis and Granuloma Annulare (GA).

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Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

In connection with the inaugural ISID meeting in Japan 2023, approximately 2000 skin researchers and clinicians from around the world will be in attendance. Travel Award Grants allow young investigators to apply for a Travel Award from their region, with the potential to receive USD 2000 to cover a significant proportion of airfare, hotel and food expenses connected with attendance of ISID 2023.

About the ISID

‘The ambitious mission of the ISID is to unite all organizations of scientists dedicated to investigative dermatology and cutaneous biology with the purpose of encouraging and facilitating collaboration and to jointly sponsor and support an international, abstract driven, peer reviewed scientific meeting every 5 years.’

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Grant category: Research Networking

Year: 2023

Geography: USA

The Young Investigator Collegiality Event is held in connection with ISID 2023 in Tokyo – and seeks to support the meaningful connections that take place at this meeting. The Young Investigator Collegiality Event is held at a popular Tokyo venue, and aims to facilitate connections amongst individuals of diverse scientific and geographic backgrounds, in an effort to build the skin biology community and foster multidisciplinary collaboration.

About the ISID

‘The ambitious mission of the ISID is to unite all organizations of scientists dedicated to investigative dermatology and cutaneous biology with the purpose of encouraging and facilitating collaboration and to jointly sponsor and support an international, abstract driven, peer reviewed scientific meeting every 5 years.’

More information

Grant category: Research Grants in open competition

Year: 2022

Geography: USA

This project initiative by Richard Granstein extends research previously funded by the LEO Foundation into the role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in regulating skin immunity by acting on endothelial cells (ECs – the cell type which lines the interior wall of blood vessels) and aims to elaborate on this regulation by studying the potential involvement of non-skin located ECs.

Recent studies have defined a novel pathway by which CGRP can skew the outcome of an immune response away from one type of T-cell mediated immunity (Th1-type) and toward another type (Th17-type) through actions on ECs. This work was originally done in cell cultures but subsequent studies using mice specifically lacking functional CGRP receptors on ECs found that this pathway indeed operates in vivo. Immunization of these mice led to decreased generation of Th17-type T cells in regional lymph nodes, but increased generation of Th1-type helper T cells. In addition, these mice were found to have severely depressed contact hypersensitivity responses. It is not known if the reduction in contact hypersensitivity responses relates to the observed changes in T helper cell differentiation. These results suggest that it may be possible to therapeutically manipulate diseases involving Th17 mechanisms, such as psoriasis, and, perhaps, other hypersensitivity disorders affecting the skin.

Given these results, it will be important to know more about the physiology of this novel pathway. Preliminary data suggest that ECs not in the skin may be sufficient targets for CGRP to exert the effects seen on T helper cell responses. Richard’s project proposes experiments to 1) test the hypothesis that ECs within regional lymph nodes are sufficient for the T helper cell effect observed in vivo and 2) to further define the mechanisms by which contact hypersensitivity is reduced in mice lacking functional CGRP receptors on ECs. Ultimately, these studies may suggest novel new routes for therapies.