# Harnessing cutaneous transcriptional and myeloid cell signatures to understand treatment response in juvenile dermatomyositis

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $172,800

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a potentially life-threatening pediatric autoimmune disease that frequently
first presents with cutaneous inflammation and can progress to debilitating muscle weakness, calcinosis, and
severe lung disease. Two-thirds of children do not respond to initial treatment, and there is a lack of prognostic
biomarkers and targeted treatments. Thus, there is a critical need to develop a better understanding of cellular
disease mechanisms and molecular heterogeneity to advance precision medicine. Deeper investigation of
molecular disease signatures at the tissue level, where active inflammation frequently persists, holds the
potential to delineate novel disease mechanisms, biomarkers and treatment targets. The specific scientific aims
of this project are to 1) Utilize cutaneous and peripheral blood gene expression signatures to determine biology
and predictors of JDM treatment response and 2) Determine single-cell and spatial transcriptional phenotypes
of myeloid cells within skin and blood that are associated with treatment refractory JDM. Through a longitudinal
approach and non-invasive skin sampling methodology in a well-phenotyped JDM cohort, the candidate will
characterize cutaneous transcriptomic signatures in both lesional and non-lesional skin as related to treatment
response. The candidate will leverage paired blood samples to directly compare the importance of tissue-specific
signatures in biomarker development. Cutaneous myeloid cell populations in treatment refractory JDM patients
will additionally be assessed at a single-cell level with spatial resolution to better understand the potential role of
myeloid cells as mediators of cutaneous inflammation and dermal-systemic immune crosstalk. The applicant is
an Assistant Professor and Pediatric Rheumatologist at the University of Michigan and actively treats children
with JDM. Her long-term career goal is to advance knowledge of disease mechanisms, identify novel biomarkers
and discover therapeutic targets in JDM in order to improve care for her patients. To become an independent
physician scientist with expertise in molecular and cellular mechanisms of pediatric autoimmune disease, the
candidate will accomplish the following scientific training goals: 1) gain expertise in working with additional patient
biosamples and primary cells, specifically using keratinocytes and myeloid cells, as a model to study immune
dysregulation in JDM, 2) develop skills in the application of bioinformatic, single-cell and systems biology
approaches to the study of pediatric autoimmune disease, and 3) gain expertise in study design, integration and
analysis of molecular and clinical patient-oriented data. The candidate will also complete the following career
development goals: 1) develop skills to lead a translational research team and mentor trainees, 2) improve written
and oral communication skills and 3) establish a multicenter research network. The applicant...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10854938
- **Project number:** 5K23AR080789-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Leigh Turnier
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $172,800
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-02 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10854938

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10854938, Harnessing cutaneous transcriptional and myeloid cell signatures to understand treatment response in juvenile dermatomyositis (5K23AR080789-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10854938. Licensed CC0.

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