How the AHR receptor controls skin cell health
Official title: Cellular Determinants of AH Receptor Signaling
Funded at University of Memphis · NIH-11306571 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are comparing how different chemicals that bind the AHR receptor change skin cell metabolism to help people with inflammatory skin conditions and to understand pollutant-related skin damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Memphis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2010 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $365,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES017014-13 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306571 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would include people with inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema, and those willing to donate skin samples or medical history about pollutant exposures for related translational work.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy volunteers without skin conditions or anyone seeking immediate treatment benefit may not gain direct clinical benefit because the project focuses on lab-based mechanisms rather than testing therapies.
What this research studies
You will be told how the team compares a harmful pollutant (TCDD) with a recently approved AHR-targeting medicine (tapinarof) to see how each alters skin cell behavior. They study keratinocyte differentiation and use lipidomic and metabolic analyses to find bioactive lipids and metabolic programs linked to inflammation or healing. Most work is done in lab models and molecular analyses, with possible links to human skin samples to make findings relevant to patients. The goal is to identify metabolic signatures that explain why some AHR ligands cause harm while others promote skin health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help guide safer AHR-targeting treatments for psoriasis and reduce skin damage from environmental pollutants.
How similar studies have gone: Related research has already led to approval of an AHR-targeting drug (tapinarof) for psoriasis, but using metabolic and lipidomic profiling to distinguish toxic versus therapeutic AHR ligands is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Memphis
Memphis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sutter, Thomas R — University of Memphis
- Study coordinator: Sutter, Thomas R
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.