Understanding why skin varies across the body
Molecular mechanisms controlling skin heterogeneity
This research explores why skin on different parts of your body looks and acts differently, which could help us understand conditions like acne or hair loss.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| 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 ID | NIH-11143803 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Your skin isn't the same everywhere; for example, the skin on your scalp is different from the skin on your face, which explains why certain conditions like hair loss or acne appear in specific areas. This project aims to discover the hidden signals within your skin that tell each area how to develop and maintain its unique characteristics throughout your life. By looking closely at skin cells from different body regions, we hope to uncover the genetic and cellular blueprints that make each skin area distinct. This knowledge could help us understand why some skin diseases affect only certain parts of the body and how skin heals differently depending on its location.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational research is not directly recruiting patients, but future studies building on this work may seek individuals with conditions like androgenetic alopecia, acne, psoriasis, or vitiligo.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate new treatments for their skin conditions may not see direct benefit from this foundational research in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to treat skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, or hair loss by targeting the specific features of skin in affected body regions.
How similar studies have performed: While the idea that skin varies by body region is well-known, this project explores the specific molecular details behind these differences, which are not yet fully understood.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Millar, Sarah E. — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Millar, Sarah E.
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 below.