NEA Research Program
NEA NOW ACCEPTING
RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSALS
FOR THE STUDY OF ECZEMA
DEADLINE: September 3, 2013
TYPE OF RESEARCH GRANT AWARDED:
One Year Research Grant.
Researcher can apply for renewal funding after first year.
RANGE OF FUNDS AWARDED:
$10,000 - $40,000 per year
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS AND TIMETABLE FOR FUNDING:
Applications due September 3, 2013. Funding starts January 1st of each year.
RESEARCH AREAS OF EMPHASIS - SUBJECT AREAS CONSIDERED:
Eczema Itch
Eczema Prevention
Eczema Alternative Therapies
HOW TO APPLY:
Download grant application forms here > > >
or request an application at: info@nationaleczema.org
The application must be submitted via email to julie@nationaleczema.org
Additionally, applicants must send by regular mail:
1. One hard copy of their completed application
2. Signed copy of the research grant agreement
3. Institutional data form with all appropriate signatures
4. IRB approval documentation
2. Signed copy of the research grant agreement
3. Institutional data form with all appropriate signatures
4. IRB approval documentation
Applications and supporting materials must be submitted via email AND received at the NEA office no later than September 3, 2013 by 5:00PM, PST to be considered for funding.
Mail to:
NEA
77 Mark Drive, Ste 8
San Rafael, CA 94903-1953
Telephone: 415.499.3474 Fax: 415.472.5345
Contact: Julie Block, President & CEO
Applications are reviewed and awarded on a competitive basis. Funding priority will be given to those grants in the Research Areas of Emphasis listed above.
AWARD PROCESS:
The research grant applications will be reviewed by a Peer Review Committee. Grant awards are announced by the NEA Board of Directors in December 2013.
NEA Funds 2012 Eczema Research
The National Eczema Association provides grants for patient-oriented eczema research. Since 2004, NEA has funded research on topics of primary importance to the eczema sufferer: itch, infection, skin barrier function, prevention and psycho-social aspects of the condition. Many research projects funded by NEA have resulted in multimillion dollar funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This is a tremendous return on our members’ investments in NEA’s research program!
Each of the grants below are currently in process. They focus on a different aspect of our research program: basic science, quality of life, and prevention. Thank you to our generous donors who make these research grants possible!
“Supplemental Funding: Atopic Dermatitis Associated with Itch Sensitization”
Tasuku Akiyama, PhD.
University of California at Davis
Davis, CA
Atopic Dermatitis (AD) patients suffer from chronic itch that affects social functioning and psychological well-being, resulting in a significant reduction in the quality of life. Chronic itch is hypothesized to result from an abnormal increase in the sensitivity (“sensitization”) of itch-signaling pathways in the nervous system. Symptoms of itch sensitization include the spontaneous occurrence of itch, the ability of light touch to elicit itch sensation (“alloknesis”), and an increase in itch sensation to a normally weak itch (“hyperknesis”). To date, there are no animal models to assess alloknesis and hyperknesis under conditions of AD. The first aim of this proposal is therefore to develop novel behavioral assessments of these symptoms of itch sensitization in a mouse model of AD. Furthermore, recent studies have revealed roles for molecular receptors of the neuropeptides gastrin releasing peptide and substance P in the spinal transmission of itch. The second aim of the research is to determine if spinal neurons that express these molecular receptors are involved in itch sensitization in the mouse model of AD.
“A Pilot Study: Creation and Evaluation of Wet Wrap Therapy Educational Videos”
Susan Jen Huang, MD
Lilit Garibyan, MD PhD
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Education is a very important factor in ensuring that patients comply with treatment plans. Patients need to understand the disease condition and treatment. While the healthcare provider sometimes provides verbal explanations and written explanations, research has shown that the use of multimedia aids helps with the understanding and performance of treatments. For example, many patients and families with children with eczema are directed to do wet wrap therapy. However, not every patient is given detailed explanation for what wet wraps are, how they will improve eczema, and most importantly, how to perform wet wrap dressings. We seek to develop a video media education resource for eczema patients and their families to empower them with the knowledge and the understand ding necessary for improving compliance and ultimately disease outcome. Our goal is to have this video media education resource be easily accessible by any eczema patient or parent through the National Eczema Association website. This pilot study will study the effectiveness of an education video on wet wrap therapy.
"Assessment of Autonomous Multisensory Intervention Device to Detect and Manage Nighttime Pruritus among Children with Atopic Dermatitis"
Cheryl Riley-Doucet PhD, RN & Hongwei Qu, PhD
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Oakland University will assess the potential of a previously developed monitoring device to be adapted to help manage the treatment of specific symptoms of eczema, specially nighttime itching among children. The project will study the capacity of the biomedical device to automatically detect the onset of anxiety and agitation among children with atopic dermatitis. The multisensory device will monitor levels of sweating, heart rate, motion and skin temperature during nighttime hours and will produce stimuli to prevent prolonged itching and alert parents when their child is agitated. The research will investigate the effectiveness of the device in detecting these physiological symptoms and the potential for it to be used as a treatment tool.
"Identifying Pathways that Enhance Epidermal Barrier Integrity as New Treatment Approaches for Atopic Dermatitis"
Anna De Benedetto, MD
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, NY
This research will evaluate FDA-approved drugs that target specific biological pathways to see if they enhance the skin barrier. The research will utilize state-of-the-art barrier measures in two human skin model systems. There are very few effective treatments for atopic dermatitis that have focused on inhibiting inflammation. The notion that a defect in the skin barrier is in part responsible for the development of atopic dermatitis opens opportunities for therapeutic intervention or prevention by utilizing drugs that could repair the skin barrier. Researchers believe these studies will lead to new and much needed preventative or active treatments for eczema patients.
"A Randomized, Controlled, Evaluator-blinded Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Lay Community Health Worker (Promotoras de Salud) Program in Decreasing the Severity of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) in Spanish-speaking Latino Pediatric Patients"
Amit Pandya, MD & Arturo R. Dominguez, MD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX
The goal of this research is to determine if a Community Health Worker (CHW/Promotora) atopic dermatitis (AD) educational program, which includes home visits, telephone calls, and culturally competent educational handouts improves treatment compliance in Latino Spanish–speaking pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis. Additionally, researchers hope to show that disease severity will decrease and parents’ knowledge regarding atopic dermatitis will improve compared to parents not receiving the home visits.
National Eczema Association Research Grants Program
The National Eczema Association makes an impact by providing grants for key eczema research!
The National Eczema Association (NEA) research program offers grants to established and new investigators in the field. The research projects range from important studies on itch, to genome wide studies, and the objective severity assessment of atopic dermatitis/eczema. This research ultimately benefits patients with eczema by providing much needed basic research data to scientists, physicians and pharmaceutical companies.
Research funding expenditures are supported by the generous donations of our individual donors and corporate partners.
Investigators interested in applying for a National Eczema Association research grant are welcome to contact the NEA office.
NEA Funded Research Grants
All Final Reports in Adobe PDF Format
Genome-wide Analysis of Atopic Dermatitis
Patrick Brown, MD PhD and Annika Saaf, PhD
Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine
Stanford University Medical Center
Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors for Atopic Dermatitis: Balancing Clinical Benefit and Possible Risks
Abrar A. Qureshi, MD, MPH and Michael A. Fisher, MD, MS
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Do Alopecia Areata and Atopic Dermatitis share HLA alleles and cytokine profiles?
Nazila Barahmani, MD
Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
The Central Processing of Pruritus in Atopic Dermatitis using Arterial Spin Labeling Functional MRI
Gil Yospovitch, MD and Robert Coghill, PhD
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Wake Forest University
Final Report
The Effect of Visual Stimuli on Itch Perception Intensity in Healthy and Atopic Dermatitis Patients
Gil Yospovitch, MD and Robert Coghill, PhD
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Wake Forest University
Final Report: PENDING
Why subjects with atopic dermatitis (AD), as compared to non-atopic, healthy controls, have a barrier defect in the skin that makes them more susceptible to skin infections.
Anna De Benedetto, MD and, Lisa A. Beck MD
Department of Dermatology
University of Rochester (NY)
Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptides influence mast cell granule composition and release: control of itch by the innate immune system.
Anna Di Nardo, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Dermatology
University of California, San Diego
The Role of the Skin Barrier in the Development and Prevention of Atopic Dermatitis
Eric Simpson, MD
Department of Dermatology
Oregon Health & Science University
Final Report, Part 1
Final Report, Part 2
Mental Health Comorbidity in Atopic Dermatitis
Eric Simpson, MD
Department of Dermatology
Oregon Health & Science University
