{"id":10942,"date":"2024-01-26T07:48:48","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T06:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leo-foundation.org\/en\/?p=10942"},"modified":"2024-01-26T09:59:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T08:59:37","slug":"14-pioneering-and-illuminating-projects-round-off-an-exciting-year-of-skin-research-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leo-foundation.org\/en\/2024\/01\/26\/14-pioneering-and-illuminating-projects-round-off-an-exciting-year-of-skin-research-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"14 pioneering and illuminating projects round off an exciting year of skin research grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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26 January 2024<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To round off an exciting year of funding for skin research, the LEO Foundation\u2019s last round of 2023 research grants – awarded through its open competition program – sees DKK 48 million to 14 skin research projects. Amongst stirring investigatory angles to be explored; how treatment options may be improved for leprosy, how rising \u201cflesh-eating disease\u201d may be countered, and examination of a healthcare model for the treatment of psoriasis based on patient health outcomes.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 has been an exciting year for the LEO Foundation\u2019s research grants program. The competition attracted a record 148 applications which resulted in 37 grants and a total of DKK 123 million for skin research projects all over the world. This reflects a success rate of 25%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the final round of 2023 research grants, 14 skin researchers have been awarded a total of DKK 48 million for their projects, which all aim to further our knowledge of skin and skin diseases. The funded projects are highly diverse in their stimulating focuses, from the possibility of wound healing without scars to the treatment of psoriasis during pregnancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest round also saw a record-breaking number of 70 applications \u2013 almost half of the year\u2019s intriguing array of reviewed skin research projects. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A glance into the year\u2019s final round of projects<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Accelerating to zero transmission of leprosy in Nepal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One project to receive a grant in the latest round is that by Principal Research Fellow Sarah Dunstan, who hails from the University of Melbourne in Australia. With a focus on two Nepali districts with a high incidence of leprosy, Sarah Dunstan will explore the leprosy-causing bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leprosy, despite being both treatable and preventable, remains a neglected tropical disease that causes severe stigmatization, disability, and mental health challenges. Achieving a leprosy-free world requires a deeper understanding of the disease’s pathophysiology, transmission, and the development of effective strategies for prevention and cure. That is what Sarah Dunstan aims to contribute to by collaborating with a network of community health workers in Nepal, who will actively search for leprosy cases.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The insights gained from this research will enhance interventions for diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine strategies and establish a solid framework to achieve the goal of zero transmission of leprosy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combating \u201cflesh-eating disease\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Thomas Sicheritz-Pont\u00e9n from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark receives a grant for his project which will explore Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections (NSTI), also known as \u201cflesh-eating disease\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flesh-eating disease is rapidly escalating globally, its infections characterized by aggressive skin manifestations. Although prompt surgery and antibiotics serve as a first line of treatment for NSTI, infections often lead to necrosis and therefore amputation, and in worst cases death.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flesh-eating disease is primarily caused by Group A Streptococcus (Strep A), and Thomas Sicheritz-Pont\u00e9n aims therefore to decode Strep A\u2019s genetic makeup, carrying out the fundamental work needed to develop a targeted therapy using bacteria-infecting viruses to kill the bacteria rather than antibiotics. His work will build off collaboration across different research hubs to provide vital insights to help combat NTSI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing value-based healthcare in psoriasis<\/strong> treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Jo Lambert from Ghent University in Belgium is another researcher to receive a grant for her innovative project, which will trial the feasibility of using a value-based healthcare (VBHC) framework for psoriasis management and treatment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The novelty of a VBHC framework lies in its optimization of value for patients, as it proposes a model in which providers, including hospitals and physicians, are paid based on patient health outcomes. Jo Lambert will conduct a clinical study in which new patients attending a dedicated psoriasis clinic (PsoPlus) of the Ghent University Hospital will be followed during at least a period of one year. Created value for psoriasis patients will be evaluated and findings distributed to provide a basis for more efficient psoriasis treatment placing patients in the foreground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read more about all 14 grantees and their projects below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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