Dermatology

Applied Research Advances

For this first edition, we would like to introduce our amazing researchers to everyone and share a little about the projects being investigated in their labs.

Ariizumi/Cruz Lab

Four people standing in front of a window
  • Kiyoshi Ariizumi, Ph.D.
  • Irfana Begum
  • Jin-Sung Chung, Ph.D.
  • Ponciano D. Cruz, Jr., M.D.
  • Irene Dougherty
  • Catherine Kelley – Admin

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in United States.  Among available treatments for metastatic cancer (including melanoma, lung and kidney cancers), immunotherapy with checkpoint blockers are associated with the best survival rates, with anti-PD1/PDL1 monoclonal antibodies considered to be industry standard.  Yet, even this therapeutic advance benefits only a minority (<20%) of metastatic cancer patients.  Furthermore, there are no good markers for sorting which patients will or will not respond to treatment.  Our objectives are to elucidate reasons for the resistance; identify blood markers that reliably prognosticate responsiveness (vs. resistance) of cancer patients before treatment; and finally create new immunotherapy modalities to further improve survival rate.

Chong Lab

nine people in a field
  • Benjamin Chong, M.D.
  • Laila Abbas
  • Grant Barber
  • Adrienne Joseph
  • Rose Ann Cannon – Admin

Dr. Benjamin Chong and his research team conduct clinical and translational research in cutaneous lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune and photosensitive skin condition in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Dr. Chong is the principal investigator of the University of Texas Southwestern Cutaneous Lupus Registry which contains clinical and historical data, and blood and skin samples from more than 300 patients. The registry serves as a foundation for multiple clinical and translational research studies in cutaneous lupus, which include developing outcome measures for clinical trials in cutaneous lupus, characterizing the disease course and quality of life of patients with cutaneous lupus, and elucidating the immunologic differences in cutaneous lupus and systemic lupus patients. Dr. Chong and his research team are working on a NIH-funded R01 project seeking to establish outcome measures for therapeutic efficacy for cutaneous lupus erythematosus clinical trials.

Glass Lab

Man in white lab coat

The Glass lab focuses on studying the underlying causes of keloids, excessive scarring that occurs only in humans. We do this by studying how the expression of certain genes or changes in the DNA sequences encoding these genes, contribute to the inflammation, increased cell number and excessive collagen production found in keloids. Our long-term goal is to help develop novel treatment strategies that will prevent keloids from recurring after treatment or from ever occurring in the first place. 

Gill Lab

Woman in white lab coat

Melanoma skin cancer is considered to be one of the most deadly types of skin cancer because of how quickly it can spread, or metastasize, to other places in the body. The goal of my research is to understand how melanoma cancer cells are able to do this so well. Specifically, I am interested in how melanoma cells change their metabolism during metastasis to adapt and survive in new environments where nutrients and conditions are often very different than where they originated in the skin. The ultimate goal of my work is to discover new drugs that target these metabolic adaptations to hopefully prevent melanoma metastasis and disease burden in patients. Many of the human melanomas I study in the lab have come from patients in our UTSW Dermatology clinic that have generously donated samples for research.

Harris-Tryon Lab

6 people in a backyard

The Harris-Tryon Laboratory bridges the fields of Microbiology, Metabolism, and Immunology and focuses on the interface between the skin surface and the community of microbes that colonize this niche. Our main mission is to understand mechanisms that the skin uses to protect the host from infection. We seek to translate our discoveries into new therapies for individuals with skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and acne.  A major focus of our lab is the study of the sebaceous gland. In addition to producing sebum, sebaceous glands generate antimicrobial proteins and lipids that limit colonization of the skin by bacteria. Bacteria can also utilize sebocyte products as a nutrient.  Thus, changes in sebaceous gland biology might drive changes in the microbiome.  Our laboratory is also broadly interested in how the diet modifies skin immunity.  We have shown that modulation of vitamin A has effects on the expression of an antimicrobial protein in skin.  Our group continues to explore how changes in the host diet can modulate skin immunity.

Jacobe Lab

Woman with brown hair
  • Heidi Jacobe, M.D.
  • Laila Abbas
  • Grant Barber
  • Adrienne Joseph
  • Rose Ann Canon – Admin

A major focus of Dr. Jacobe’s research is Morphea.  In 2007, she created the Morphea in Adults and Children (MAC) cohort which is the first registry for both children and adults in the country.  The purpose of the registry is to learn more about how morphea behaves over time, how frequently specific problems occur, and to ascertain whether morphea has an autoimmune background.

Le Lab

10 people masked inside
  • Lu Q. Le, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Zhiguo (Andy) Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Elnaz Ghotbi, Ph.D.
  • Chunhui Jiang, Ph.D.
  • Renee McKay, Ph.D.
  • Juan Mo, Ph.D.
  • Tracey Shipman
  • Nipunika Somatilaka, Ph.D.
  • Edem Tchegnon
  • Yong Wang, M.S.

The Le Laboratory is composed of dedicated and talented instructors, postdoctoral fellows, students and research associates. Our work bridges the fields of Cancer Biology, Developmental Biology, and Stem Cell Biology with a focus on the biology of neurofibromatosis, a group of genetic disorders that causes tumors, called neurofibromas, to form on nerve tissue. These tumors are typically benign but some can transform to become deadly malignant (cancerous) tumors.

Our broad research goals are to 1) decipher mechanisms that initiate and drive human cancer, 2) generate robust preclinical models to study tumor progression and test potential drugs, and 3) identify novel therapeutic targets for human cancers. A related goal is to translate our basic scientific discoveries in the laboratory into clinical trials for patients. Primary scientific interests of the Le Lab are identification of the cell of origin that gives rise to these tumors and understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer development. We use Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a tumor predisposition human genetic disorder that occurs in 1 in 3,000 individuals, as a model to address these two fundamental questions in Cancer Biology as well as elucidating cutaneous nervous system development and regeneration. Our work in this area has also led us to another field – the stem cells of origin of hair and skin – which has implications for treatment of hair graying and balding.

Wang Lab

Man with short dark hair wearing a lab coat

Our lab has two major areas of research. First, we study glucose transporters (GLUTs), the proteins that are responsible for moving glucose in and out of cells. We are studying the functions of different GLUTs in cells and testing whether they can be manipulated to treat disease. We are currently both neurological (like GLUT1 deficiency syndrome) and skin diseases (like psoriasis) that are characterized abnormal regulation of glucose transporter. Second, we study human polyomaviruses (HPyV) and human papillomaviruses (HPV). These DNA viruses infect the skin and cause infections and cancers. By understanding the biology of these viruses, we hope to develop better diagnoses and treatments for the diseases that they cause.

Yancey Lab

Man in dark grey suit wearing glasses
  • Kim B. Yancey, M.D.
  • Loderick Matthews
  • Liza Valdez Morales – Admin

Dr. Yancey’s research efforts have focused on mechanisms of keratinocyte adhesion to epidermal basement membrane, and the pathophysiologic basis of autoimmune and inherited subepidermal blistering diseases.  At this time, he is a Co-Investigator on an NIH sponsored, Phase 1 Clinical Trial regarding the use of autologous T regulatory cells in patients with pemphigus.  He is also the Director of the CLIA-approved Cutaneous Immunopathology Laboratory in the Department of Dermatology at UT Southwestern.