How dietary fats affect light therapy for inflammatory skin conditions
Impact of dietary lipid components on phototherapy used to treat inflammatory skin conditions
This research looks at whether certain dietary fats change how well light-based treatment works for people with inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311880 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are looking at how fats you eat change skin molecules called nitro-fatty acids that can calm inflammation. They will use lab experiments and animal models and examine how UV phototherapy causes formation of these nitro-fatty acids in skin. The team will test whether giving specific dietary fatty acids increases beneficial nitro-fatty acids and lowers the inflammatory signals that drive psoriasis. The goal is to produce knowledge that could lead to combining diet changes with light therapy in future patient trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be adults with inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, especially those who are receiving or considering UV phototherapy.
Not a fit: People without inflammatory skin disease or those who cannot receive UV phototherapy are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to dietary approaches that make phototherapy more effective and reduce skin inflammation in conditions like psoriasis.
How similar studies have performed: Similar oral nitro-fatty acid approaches reduced inflammation in mouse models and the team has found that phototherapy can produce nitro-fatty acids in skin, but human benefit has not yet been proven.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schopfer, Francisco Jose — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Schopfer, Francisco Jose
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.