Close-up of female technician placing specimen in petri dish
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Research Opportunities
Program for Clinical Research in Dermatology

The program provides clinical research opportunities for patients seeking new treatment options.

Dermatology Research Training

The department offers opportunities for training in basic and clinical-translational investigative dermatology research.

Skin Biology & Diseases Resource-based Center

The U-M Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Center (UM-SBDRC) seeks to expand the community of skin researchers.

Learn more about the center