Areas of Research
Skin Cancer
There is a compelling reason skin cancer research is aggressively pursued by the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah. That which is the biggest draw to our state, our mountains and our weather, is also one of our biggest detriments. We have, on average, 226 days of sunshine a year. This, combined with our altitude, which allows for more ultraviolet exposure, puts our population at greater risk for many types of skin cancer. It also provides a situation where a wealth of information and research possibilities are readily available.
The Department of Dermatology serves as one of the foremost centers for long-term studies, as well as research on the detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of skin cancers.
Familial Melanoma Research Clinic
Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Tom C. Mathews, Jr. Familial Melanoma Research Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. This Clinic represents a unique collaboration between basic research scientists and clinicians. Working together, they use state-of-the-art methods for the identification of genetic and environmental factors that play a role in the development and susceptibility to melanoma. An important focus is the education, prevention and detection, and clinical care of individuals and their families.
Genetic Mapping
Human genes are distributed across 23 chromosomes. Genetic mapping involves locating and characterizing the gene(s) involved with a particular disease on these chromosomes. By studying the genes of individuals with and without melanoma, genetic changes in a variety of genes that put people at risk for the disease can be identified. Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. a board certified geneticist, was active in mapping and identifying the major melanoma risk gene on chromosome 9. He is currently focusing on the genetics of growth regulation of melanocytes in the skin compared with moles (nevi).
cDNA Microarray Analysis
Defects in multiple genes are involved in skin cancer. Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. and Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. use a technology called cDNA Microarray analysis to screen skin cancer tissue for thousands of genes with the hope of identifying similar and specific genes involved in melanoma versus normal moles. Identification of the critical genes involved in skin cancer will identify new targets for therapeutic and preventative intervention.
Kristin M. Leiferman, M.D. and Gerald J. Gleich, M.D. are also using cDNA Microarray technology to identify the genetic “fingerprint” for allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a common eczema of the skin that typically begins in infancy and causes extreme itching, frequently associated with skin infections. It is generally believed that predisposed individuals with this common disease have inappropriate immune responses to common environmental antigens. Identification of specific genes will provide useful information for interfering with the abnormal reactivity.
Mole Mapping
A person with increased number of moles has an increased risk of melanoma. Working at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Douglas Grossman, M.D., Ph.D is involved in the mapping of the number, location, and characteristics of moles on high-risk subjects. Excess tissue from biopsied moles are being used for multiple studies investigating the physiology and molecular characteristics of new and changing moles.
Skin Cancer Pathology
The risk of developing melanoma is generally associated with the number of moles, the number of atypical moles and the location of these moles on an individual, as well as mutations on chromosome 9. Scott R. Florell, M.D., Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D. and Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. investigate the relationship between chromosomal mutations mutations and moles, in order to develop better methods for identifying people at risk for developing melanoma.
Apoptosis and Skin Cancer Pathogenesis
The laboratory of Douglas Grossman, M.D., Ph.D. in the Huntsman Cancer Institute investigates the regulatory mechanisms of apoptosis in melanocytes and keratinocytes, and the dysregulation of apoptosis in melanoma and non-melanocytes skin cancer. Previous studies have focused on Survivin, a newly-discovered inhibitor of apoptosis, that is expressed in skin cancers but not normal skin. Current studies using gene transfer and transgenic mouse technologies are evaluating the effects of its aberrant expression in melanocytes and keratinocytes.
Oxidative Stress and Skin Cancer Prevention
Douglas Grossman, M.D., Ph.D., Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D., and Pamela Cassidy, Ph.D. are investigating the role of oxidative stress in the predisposition toward melanoma, particularly in high-risk melanoma families. The long-range goal of these investigations is development of prevention agents that can be given to patients at high risk for melanoma.
Allergic Diseases
Allergies are affecting more and more individuals and have substantial socioeconomic impact. Allergic diseases affect the skin as well as other organs that have skin-like, or epithelial, surfaces including the nose, lung, eye, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary tract. Gerald J. Gleich, M.D. and Kristin M. Leiferman, M.D. investigate specific cells in the blood that are involved in causing allergic inflammation with the hope of identifying the factors that lead to allergic reactivity and new safe and effective treatment(s) of these diseases.
Bullous Diseases
Bullous or blistering diseases may result from an abnormal immune system response. Utah has a large population of genetically susceptible people to this disease. John J. Zone, M.D. is an internationally recognized research and clinical expert in two such diseases called Dermatitis Herpetiformis and Linear IgA Bullous Disease. Dermatitis Herpetiformis is caused by sensitivity to wheat products and often occurs in families. John J. Zone, M.D., Laurence J. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. and Kristin M. Leiferman, M.D. are exploring the genetic basis and immunological mechanisms of these diseases with the hope of improving disease detection and therapy.
Gene Therapy
Inherited diseases and some acquired diseases are caused by defective genes. Gene therapy uses healthy genes to correct these diseases. Gerald G. Krueger, M.D. has developed techniques to put healthy genes into skin cells grown in the laboratory in order to correct gene function. Transferring these modified cells with healthy genes into an animal model, however, results in either decreased gene function or cell death. With a large National Institutes of Health grant, Gerald G. Krueger, M.D., Marta J. Petersen, M.D., and other colleagues, are striving to develop methods to increase the survival of the modified healthy genes. Gene therapy represents a new generation of therapeutic agents that offers the exciting possibility of long-term correction of acquired and inherited diseases.
Immunodermatology Laboratory
The Immunodermatology Laboratory offers diagnostic testing that aids in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of immune-mediated skin diseases. John J. Zone, M.D. pioneered the use of immunofluorescence in the diagnosis and management of blistering diseases associated with intestinal sensitivity to wheat proteins. He and Kristin M. Leiferman, M.D. have applied the technology to both skin tissue and blood specimens to determine the best approach for diagnostic testing, interpretation and disease management of a variety of cutaneous diseases.
Psoriasis
There are several ongoing psoriasis research studies being conducted at the University of Utah. Please click here for more information.
Psoriasis, a disease that afflicts 2.6% of the population, is a genetically acquired auto-immune disease, characterized by thick, white, scaly and red patches commonly occurring on the elbows and knees. Gerald G. Krueger, M.D. is an international authority on psoriasis with 30 years experience in developing and evaluating new investigative treatments. He is currently evaluating several new biological agents with the goal of improving long-term benefits of psoriatic therapy with minimal detrimental side effects.
Telehealth
Telehealth, also referred to as telemedicine, is the use of modern telecommunications technology to deliver health care services to distant sites. Marta J. Petersen, M.D. is the Director of the Telehealth Outreach Program at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. For the first time, individuals living in rural areas of Utah can receive specialized health care service not available to them locally. One important application of this technology is the treatment of prisoners at the Utah State Prison in Draper. Using Telehealth, the number of prisoners leaving the prison for medical care has been reduced significantly, resulting in lower costs and lower security risks to the citizens of Utah.
