Research in Dermatology

The basic and translational science research teams at Penn State Dermatology are using leading-edge technologies to understand both normal skin biology and a number of inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases. Within the dermatology laboratories, researcheres use a variety of model systems, including human patient samples, to discover the mechanisms underlying disease development and identify novel biological targets for future therapies. Researcheres work closely with clinical colleagues, bioinformaticians and other researchers to provide a multidisciplinary team approach to combatting skin diseases.

Nelson Lab

• Amanda M. Nelson, PhD – assistant professor of dermatology, principal investigator

• Robert Feehan, PhD – Research Faculty, Nelson Lab Manager

• Stephanie Schell, PhD – postdoctoral scholar

• Mackenzie Sennett – MD/PhD student

• Kathy Gilliland – senior research administrator

Hobbs Lab

• Ryan Hobbs, PhD – assistant professor of dermatology, prinicpal investigator

• Ting Gao – research technician II

• Kyle Patrick – PhD student

Kowalczyk Lab

• Andrew Kowalczyk, PhD – professor of dermatology and cellular and molecular physiology; principal investigator

• Haifang Xu – lab manager

• Navaneetha Bharathan – postdoctoral scholar

• William Giang – cell imaging specialist

• Sonam Lhamo – biomedical sciences graduate student

• Tadahiko Seo – postdoctoral scholar

• Stephanie Zimmer – postdoctoral scholar

Stahley Lab

• Sara Stahley, PhD – assistant professor of dermatology and cellular and molecular physiology

• Valerie Trujillo Adorno – research technician I

Current Studies

• Acne:

  The full pathogenesis of acne is incomplete. The Nelson Lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms of a variety of agents, including isotretinoin, on sebocyte biology and sebum production.

• Skin microbiome:

  Each individual has a unique skin microbiome. With the NIH Human Microbiome Project, many research studies are focused on identifying and understanding the role of skin microbes and microbe communities in health and disease states. The Nelson lab is focused on the understanding the skin microbiome in acne and hidradenitis suppurativa as well as how the skin microbiome responds to or is altered during the course of treatment for each disease.

• Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS):

  HS is a chronic, painful inflammatory skin disease. The underlying cause of HS is not fully known. The Nelson lab has numerous projects focused on elucidating the etiology of HS, with the hope of that basic science research on HS pathogenesis will accelerate drug discovery for this devastating, prevalent and difficult-to-treat disease.

• Non-melanoma skin cancer:

  Both the Hobbs Lab and the Nelson Lab have a shared interest in non-melanoma skin cancer. Dr. Nelson’s team is focused on understanding the role of the innate immune system in squamous and basal cell carcinoma initiation and progression. Dr. Hobbs’ team studies the cellular mechanisms behind the development and progression of skin cancers.

• Industry partnerships:

  The Nelson lab works in conjunction with industry partners to perform drug screening on skin cell lines to identify novel mechanisms, targets and therapeutics for the treatment of acne. The lab is also involved in the design of investigator-initiated trials.

Contact

To speak to someone about current studies in the Department of Dermatology, call 717-531-5136 or email Amy Longenecker at alongenecker@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

The Department of Dermatology participates in the Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine.

This program aims to bring together scientists and medical professionals with research interests in various areas of stem cell biology, such as regenerative medicine, disease modeling and cancer research.

Learn more about the Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Program