Grant: Doctoral Research Award - PA - Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Palmoplantar pustulosis is a chronic skin disease that causes painful blisters and pustules on the palms and soles. These flare repeatedly and make daily tasks like walking or holding objects very difficult. At present, there is no cure, and the exact causes remain uncertain. This project will explore how the immune system drives the disease and how different immune cells interact with the skin. We will use a powerful imaging method that allows us to see many cell types at once inside patient skin samples. This is like creating a detailed map of how immune cells and skin cells are arranged and how they communicate. We will also recreate these interactions in the laboratory to test how they contribute to skin inflammation. Finally, we will test promising new therapies that target several immune pathways at once. The goal is to discover treatments that work better than current options and that can restore balance to the skin. By explaining how palmoplantar pustulosis develops and by testing new treatment strategies, this research can lead to real improvements in therapy and better quality of life for people living with this disabling condition.