9 million NOK in HSØ funding for the project Navigating the Tunnel
Emma Lång, member of the "Cell and tissue dynamics research group" at the Department of Microbiology, has received 9 million NOK in funding from Helse Sør-Øst RHF for her project "Navigating the Tunnel: Keratinocyte Dynamics & Therapeutic Targeting of IL-17 in Hidradenitis Suppurati.
Chronic inflammatory skin disease Hidradenitis Suppurativa
This interdisciplinary study aims to uncover the underlying cellular mechanisms of the chronic inflammatory skin disease, Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). HS is a debilitating disease that severely impacts patients’ quality of life, with current treatments being insufficient and late diagnosis complicating care.
By focusing on the functional characterization of dysregulated skin cells associated with HS, this project seeks to fill the knowledge gap related to disease initiation, with the goal of preventing severe disease and reducing the need for surgery. By combining spatial phenotyping of intact tissue, mechanistic studies on primary skin cells, and clinical observations, this project aims to uncover how keratinocyte phenotypes drive tunnel formation and how current treatments influence these dynamic processes.
Expert collaboration
Emma Lång has been a senior researcher in Stig Ove Bøe’s research group. With this funding she is starting up her own independent research project as a PI.
Emma Lång is an expert in molecular and cell biology and advanced imaging techniques. For this project she will collaborate with Olav Sundnes, a consultant dermatologist and associated professor working at the Department of Dermatology, whose extensive clinical expertise in HS will provide important insights to the study.
Emma Lång in the microscope lab. Photo: Guro Flor Lien
Links
Cell and tissue dynamics research group, headed by Stig Ove Bøe
Division of Laboratory Medicine
From Helse Sør-Øst (in Norwegian):
176 millioner kroner til nye forskningsprosjekter i Helse Sør-Øst (helse-sorost.no)