# Investigating single-T cell atopic gene networks in Asian and Hispanic genetic backgrounds

> **NIH NIH R56** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $343,904

## Abstract

Investigating single-T cell atopic gene networks in Asian and Hispanic genetic backgrounds
Project Summary/Narrative
Immunomodulatory therapies now robustly improve atopic dermatitis, based on selective targeting of cytokine
pathways. However, no immune cell-specific molecular biomarkers can currently differentiate disease states at
the level of individual patients or genetic ancestries, to help guide treatment selection. Our long-term objective
is to understand causes and effective treatments for atopic dermatitis in Asian and Hispanic genetic
backgrounds. The objective of this proposal is to identify genetic biases in, and functionally characterize, a set
of abnormally elevated transcripts in atopic dermatitis skin T cells, which we recently discovered in a cohort of
Asian and Hispanic patients. Our central hypothesis is that transcriptional abnormalities in skin-resident T cells
are upstream, causative drivers in atopic dermatitis and once validated, represent candidate biomarkers for
drug response. The rationale underlying this proposal is that prior work suggests that non-European cohorts
develop atopic dermatitis via genetic pathways outside canonical Th2/Tc2 signaling, a model not supported by
our preliminary data. We will validate our abnormal atopic T cell signature in Asian and Hispanic cohorts and
experimentally test our hypothesis that specific genes in this signature can produce a Th2 cell identity. We will
pursue these aims using innovative technical approaches that include both CRISPR/Cas9-based gene
activation in primary T cells and single-cell spatial transcriptomics, bringing new capabilities to the skin
immunology field. Our proposal is significant because it investigates patient-level biomarkers in atopic
dermatitis T cells in diverse genetic backgrounds. The expected outcome of this proposal is a population- and
mechanism-validated set of genetic abnormalities that typify atopic dermatitis in Asian and Hispanic patients.
These data will have a positive impact on clinical treatments because they will guide treatments to reduce the
substantial morbidity and economic impact stemming from atopic dermatitis in non-European patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11175794
- **Project number:** 1R56AR082484-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Raymond Jaihyun Cho
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $343,904
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-20 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11175794

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11175794, Investigating single-T cell atopic gene networks in Asian and Hispanic genetic backgrounds (1R56AR082484-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11175794. Licensed CC0.

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