How eczema (atopic dermatitis) progresses in children
Official title: Atopic dermatitis: mechanisms of disease progression
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11307661 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows children with eczema to find patterns in their skin, gut, airways, and blood that predict who may develop allergies or asthma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | April 20, 2020 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $224,999 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI152034-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11307661 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Young children (infants through pre-teens) diagnosed with atopic dermatitis/eczema, especially those with early-onset disease, are the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
Adults, people without eczema, or participants seeking immediate changes to their treatment are unlikely to receive direct therapeutic benefit from this observational cohort.
What this research studies
If my child joins, clinicians will follow them over time with regular clinic visits and sample collection. They will collect skin, stool, airway and blood samples and use many lab tests and measurements to group children by shared symptoms and biology. The team uses these groups to look for early signs that predict whether a child will go on to develop food allergies, allergic rhinitis, or asthma. The study is focused on young children and emphasizes detailed, repeated measurements rather than testing a treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors predict which children with eczema are most likely to develop other allergic conditions and guide earlier prevention or personalized care.
How similar studies have gone: This builds on prior atopic march and cohort research but is relatively novel as the first U.S. early-life mechanistic cohort using multiple biological measures to define subgroups and predict outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Khurana Hershey, Gurjit K. — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Khurana Hershey, Gurjit K.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Stopping Atopic Dermatitis and Allergy: Preventing Food Allergy by Protecting the Skin
A large study in infants at high risk for allergies tests whether using a skin barrier cream together with early, proactive skin care can prevent peanut allergy and other food allergies.
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SEAL Study: Preventing peanut allergy by protecting baby skin
This trial tests whether using a skin-emollient and proactive skin steroids early in life can prevent peanut allergy in high-risk infants.
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SEAL Study: Prevent allergy by protecting the baby’s skin
A very young group of high-risk babies will try a early skin-care plan to reduce eczema and prevent peanut allergy.
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Understanding how skin fungi affect atopic dermatitis in adults
A study will look at how the skin's fungal community influences atopic dermatitis in adults and whether this understanding could lead to new treatments.
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Preventing eczema-related allergies by strengthening infants' skin barrier
This project will see if using a trilipid skin cream plus proactive mild topical steroids in infants with early dry skin or eczema lowers their chances of developing food allergies.
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Personalized predictions for how atopic dermatitis may progress in kids and teens
A patient-friendly plan to forecast how early-onset eczema might evolve in children and young people using simple health clues and data from diverse settings.
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.