Understanding why Dermatomyositis causes worse outcomes in women
Official title: Understanding Mechanisms Driving Poor Outcomes in Women with Dermatomyositis
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11406169 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-centered project to understand why women with dermatomyositis, especially Black women, have more severe disease and death, and to build a regional patient registry to guide better care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $348,308 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR085823-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11406169 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women with dermatomyositis, especially Black women, and those with myositis-related ILD.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without dermatomyositis or ILD are unlikely to benefit from this study.
What this research studies
Dermatomyositis is a rare autoimmune condition that mainly affects women and can lead to severe muscle weakness, skin rashes, and in many cases lung disease. This study plans to create the Southern California Dermatomyositis Disease Network to gather data from patients across diverse clinics, with emphasis on including underrepresented women. Researchers will examine how blood vessels and an enzyme called PON1 may contribute to disease progression and lung involvement, using new ways to measure ILD. The goal is to link real-world diagnostic and treatment practices with a clearer picture of disease mechanisms to guide future biomarkers and therapies. By combining patient data and mechanistic studies, the work aims to improve outcomes and inform treatment guidelines for DM and MA-ILD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more accurate diagnoses, better personalized treatments, and clearer care guidelines for DM with lung involvement.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggests meaningful biomarker and registry-based insights may improve care in similar inflammatory diseases, though this exact approach is novel for DM/MA-ILD.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Charles-Schoeman, Christina — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Charles-Schoeman, Christina
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Personalized Immunomonitoring for Juvenile Dermatomyositis
A personalized approach to monitoring immune signals in kids with juvenile dermatomyositis to better understand and track their disease.
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Precision therapies for dermatomyositis using single-cell RNA data and bioinformatics
A doctor-scientist team at a major hospital plans to find existing drugs that could treat dermatomyositis by analyzing patient cells at the single-cell level and testing promising options in the lab.
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Identifying targeted treatments for dermatomyositis using advanced genetic analysis
This study is looking at dermatomyositis, a tough autoimmune condition, to find better and safer treatments by examining blood and skin samples from patients to see how their immune system is affected, and then using that information to repurpose existing medications.
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Understanding how skin and blood cell signals affect treatment response in children with dermatomyositis
This study is looking at why some kids with juvenile dermatomyositis don’t get better with usual treatments by checking their skin and blood for clues, so we can find better ways to help them feel better.
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Using a cannabinoid to relieve itching and inflammation in dermatomyositis
This study is looking at a new treatment that could help reduce the severe itching and inflammation caused by dermatomyositis, an autoimmune disease, and it's designed for people who are dealing with this condition.
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Anti-CD19/BCMA universal CAR-T cell therapy for refractory autoimmune diseases
This will try anti-CD19/BCMA universal CAR-T cell therapy in adults with refractory rheumatoid arthritis, dermatomyositis, systemic lupus, or systemic sclerosis to see if it is safe and can control their disease.
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.