Funding

Skin Immunobiology and Immune Diseases Program

Updated September 1, 2007

Research Areas

  • All aspects of immunity in the skin
  • Basic studies of skin immune responses, including traditional immune system cellular components such as dendritic or Langerhans cells and T cells, and soluble mediators including antimicrobial peptides
  • Interactions among skin components during a normal immune response which is key to understanding how to manipulate the system for purposes of vaccine development and tolerance induction
  • Dysregulation and abnormal expression of inflammatory mediators or their receptors in the skin, which are relevant to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis
  • Autoimmune diseases such as pemphigus, vitiligo and alopecia areata
  • Microbial pathogenesis and diseases related to bacterial, viral, or fungal skin infections such as acne and post-herpetic neuralgia
  • Immune cell proliferative disorders such as mastocytosis and T cell malignancy

Staff Contact

Cheryl Lapham, Ph.D.
Program Director
Skin Immunobiology and Immune Diseases Program
Division of Skin and Rheumatic Diseases
NIAMS, NIH, DHHS
One Democracy Plaza
6701 Democracy Blvd. Ste. 800
Bethesda, MD 20892-4872
Email: laphamc@mail.nih.gov