Dermatology Basic Science & Translational Research
The U-M Medical School Dermatology Department's Basic Science and Translational Research programs are working to discover new insights about skin biology, health and disease. Strengthened by the expertise of our faculty and interdisciplinary teams, these efforts are focused in key areas of investigative dermatology.
Areas of Research
Cutaneous Bioinformatics
Our bioinformatics group is developing novel systems biology approaches to analyze high dimensional biological and biomedical data for studies exploring the pathophysiology of different immune-mediated disorders and the genetics of disease heterogeneity.
Sex Discrepancy in Autoimmune Diseases
Our research explores how the female-biased transcription coregulator, VGLL3, promotes autoimmune disease through interaction with transcription factors shared by the Hippo signaling pathway.
Skin Aging & Photobiology
We are investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in skin aging and age-related regulation of dermal extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis, as well as how age-related changes in the ECM influence skin cancer development.
Skin Autoimmunity & Immunogenetics
We are investigating the complex regulatory mechanisms that drive the development and perpetuation of autoimmune and inflammatory skin diseases utilizing multi-omics approaches to study skin inflammation and the biology of various inflammatory mediators.
Skin Cancer Biology
Our research focuses on the biology and molecular pathogenesis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and Merkel cell carcinoma with work examining the genetics and signaling mechanisms involved in skin tumor initiation, growth and treatment-related dormancy.
Psoriasis Genetics & Genomics
Our ongoing research combines the power of large genome-wide association studies, transcriptome analysis, and the largest collection of psoriasis-related DNA/tissue samples in the world to enhance our mechanistic understanding of the causes of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and associated co-morbidities.
Skin Cancer & Hair Follicle Biology
We seek to discover novel and fundamental insights related to skin and hair follicle biology, epithelial stem cells and cancer, with studies focusing on the roles of different stem cell populations during hair follicle development, wound healing and tumorigenesis.
Research Opportunities
Skin Research Center
The U-M Skin Research Center (UM-SRC) seeks to expand the community of skin researchers.
