Labs

We study chronic inflammatory conditions to understand the dynamic interplay between biology and the physical and sociocultural environment.

We study autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions to expand our understanding of how alterations in the immune system manifest in the skin and other organ systems and how treatment for these conditions can be optimized.

The Bastian Lab studies tumors that arise from melanocytes, the melanin-producing cells of the skin and other organs. Pigment cell tumors are an ideal model to study the processes involved in early cancer formation, as pigment cell tumors are often removed at very early stages. In fact, most melanocytic tumors that are removed are completely harmless (so called moles or nevi), but some are potentially dangerous (called melanomas). Melanomas can arise from moles or other precursor lesions or can form seemingly from normal skin. We are studying the mechanisms of how moles form and what makes them cancerous. Our goal is to develop objective diagnostic algorithms that can assess how far an individual patient’s tumor has evolved and how treatment is best be tailored to the individual patient.

We study the impact of social determinants of health on the development, clinical presentation, and treatment of skin conditions and how to improve dermatological care of marginalized and minoritized populations.

Founded in 2022, the Fassett laboratory studies the skin-centric and systemic neuroimmune biology of IL-31 in inflammatory diseases. 

The Hidradenitis Suppurativa PRospective Observational REgistry and bioSpecimen repoSitory (HS PROGRESS) is a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study that comprehensively characterizes HS from clinical and biological perspectives.

The mission of HS PROGRESS is to facilitate hidradenitis suppurativa research through collaboration between investigators, clinicians, patients, and industry in order to improve the lives of people living with HS.

The Liao lab uses genetic, genomic, and immunologic approaches to understand the molecular basis for skin diseases. We apply cutting edge technologies and computational tools to identify new disease genes, understand disease heterogeneity, and predict medical outcomes. Using a systems biology approach, we integrate data from the genome, epigenome, immunome, and microbiome.

The Ortiz lab specializes in developing molecular therapeutics for melanoma, with a particular focus on investigating oncogenic mechanisms driven by abnormal expression of mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs).

The central focus of our research is to understand how immune responses are regulated in tissues and how this knowledge can be exploited for therapeutic benefit.

We study the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating the adaptive immune response to skin commensal bacteria in order to elucidate the role of microbes in skin homeostasis and inflammatory skin disease.

The overaching goal of the Shain laboratory is to better understand the biology of melanoma. We use a variety of -omic approaches to delinate the genetic and transcriptomic alterations in melanocytic tissues. Recently, we have initiated single-cell based studies (both DNA- and RNA- single-cell sequencing).

The Wei Lab studies how the environment and socioeconomic factors interact with skin disorders, what factors affect melanoma outcomes, and how to apply precision medicine to improve skin cancer detection and diagnosis by harnessing artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. 

We study the genetics of melanocytic tumors and their correspondence with histopathologic features to improve diagnosis and prognostication for melanocytic tumors including melanoma. In the laboratory, we use in vitro and in vivo models to elucidate the function of oncogenic drivers with the mission of identifying targets for treatment.