# Project 1: Host Immune Response to Chronic Psoriasis Inflammation

> **NIH NIH P50** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $333,447

## Abstract

The overall goal of the CWRU Psoriasis Center of Research Translation (CORT) is to combine new 
bioinformatic methodologies with advanced murine and human experimental approaches to translate scientific 
findings into clinical applications that more nimbly advance therapy for psoriasis and related inflammatory 
comorbidities. Our highly innovative, synergistic and cross-disciplinary CORT will use a collaborative research 
project (CRP) as a central hub with bi-directional input from 2 highly interactive research cores, to refine and 
test hypotheses, identify and test repurposed drug leads and advance understanding of psoriasis and related 
inflammatory comorbidities. To do so, the CRP will integrate input from the: 1) Preclinical Modeling Core 
(PMC), that will provide and customize our many validated, unique transgenic psoriasiform animal models and 
translatable human xenograft approaches, essential to translating new mediator/pathway roles and drug leads; 
and the 2) Applied Meta-‘Omics Core (AMC), that will apply multi-platform (transcriptome, metabolome, 
micro/mycobiome) bioinformatics to individual patient and murine samples to identify novel pathway-specific 
targets. Iterative experimental testing of these targets and feedback from the PMC and CRP will identify novel 
pathways in psoriasis pathogenesis that are likely to benefit from intervention by new or repurposed drugs that 
will translate to psoriasis therapy. Our overarching hypothesis is that we can powerfully combine existing and 
developing psoriasis basic science datasets, patient records, bioinformatics and computational systems 
biology with bi-directional mouse and human studies to identify new therapeutic targets and repurposed drugs 
that can be expeditiously moved to clinical trials, improving psoriasis treatment and patient care. To test and 
refine this hypothesis, the Specific Aims are: (1) Identify new pathways central to psoriasis pathogenesis and 
new psoriasis drug candidates by analyzing psoriasis patients' EMR data, tissue and blood samples and; (2) 
Evaluate AMC-identified gene targets and efficacy of pathway-specific drug candidates using preclinical 
molecular genetic psoriasis mouse models. The concentrated interactions between the CRP and Cores will 
provide value-added research output, far beyond any incremental advances that a given Core or specific 
project could provide. Our novel, highly integrated and synergistic CORT design, powered by exceptional 
resources and expertise of our interdisciplinary translational investigative team, will exert a transformative and 
sustainable impact on the psoriasis field and patient care.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10005125
- **Project number:** 5P50AR070590-04
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicole Leanne Ward
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $333,447
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10005125

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10005125, Project 1: Host Immune Response to Chronic Psoriasis Inflammation (5P50AR070590-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10005125. Licensed CC0.

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