Role of a skin protein in psoriasis-related diabetes
Official title: Role of IFN kappa in psoriasis-mediated diabetes development
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11371092 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study explores how a skin inflammation signal may contribute to developing type 2 diabetes in people with psoriasis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $248,999 |
| NIH project number | 5R00DK133828-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371092 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with psoriasis who are at risk for or have type 2 diabetes may be eligible, depending on the specific inclusion criteria.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without psoriasis or diabetes or those not meeting the study criteria may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
If you have psoriasis, this research looks at a molecule called interferon kappa that is higher in your skin and blood and may trigger inflammation in fat tissue and other immune cells. The researchers will test how a histone regulator called MLL1 influences IFNkappa levels in skin cells and whether this causes inflammatory macrophages to rise and disrupt glucose control. They will examine the signaling pathways Tyk2/STAT1 and JMJD3 to see how they connect skin inflammation to diabetes risk. The goal is to identify mechanisms that could be targeted to reduce diabetes risk in psoriasis patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new approaches to prevent or better manage type 2 diabetes in people with psoriasis.
How similar studies have gone: Past work has linked psoriasis inflammation to metabolic changes, but this project aims to uncover specific molecular pathways.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wolf-Fortune, Sonya J — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Wolf-Fortune, Sonya J
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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.