Skin immunity and aging: how frailty and skin microbes shape infections
Official title: Skin immunity as a function of frailty, aging, and skin microbiome composition
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11094728 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aging adults may have weaker skin defenses and more infections, and this project studies how aging, frailty, and skin bacteria together influence skin immunity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $446,739 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AG084765-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11094728 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Healthy younger adults, healthy older adults, and frail older adults who participate in skin immune studies.
✕Less likely to help
People not in the study may not directly benefit, though broader knowledge may help future patients.
What this research studies
This project will look at how aging and frailty affect skin’s immune response to infections and how the skin microbiome plays a role. Researchers will collect skin samples from younger adults, healthy older adults, and frail older adults using a microneedle device to profile immune activity and microbial communities. They will also use a mouse model with diverse genetics to understand how aging influences skin immunity and infection risk. The study aims to connect human data with animal studies to identify factors that make aging skin more vulnerable and how to improve it.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could lead to better strategies to protect aging skin from infections and improve skin health.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows the microbiome and aging affect immune responses, but this project combines frailty, microbiome, and cutaneous immunity in humans and mice.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oh, Julia — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Oh, Julia
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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.