Mapping eczema biology across ethnic groups and levels of severity
Official title: Developing a Molecular Map of Atopic Dermatitis Across Ethnicity and Severity Subtypes.
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11332655 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at skin and blood differences in adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis across different ethnic groups to help match treatments to each person's type of eczema.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | April 13, 2020 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $224,076 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI152036-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332655 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, particularly people of African or Asian ancestry or African American/Asian American backgrounds, are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without atopic dermatitis or those with only very mild, occasional eczema are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You would be asked to provide skin samples and blood so researchers can compare molecular signals in people with different eczema severities and ethnic backgrounds. The team will profile both lesional and non-lesional skin plus circulating immune signals to see when inflammation becomes systemic. By including adults from African and Asian populations and comparing them to U.S. African American and Asian American patients, they aim to find shared and distinct molecular patterns. Those patterns could point to when topical care is enough and when systemic treatments may be needed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help doctors choose treatments better matched to your specific eczema type.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have found distinct molecular patterns in some eczema subtypes, but a large multi-ethnic mapping effort of this scope is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Guttman, Emma — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Guttman, Emma
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.
-
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.
-
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.