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Spring 2024

SkIN Canada Skin Investigation Network of Canada

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Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

SkIN Canada News
Canadian Skin Research Conference
June 25-27, 2024 in Ottawa

 
A joint meeting of the Skin Investigators Network of Canada (SkIN Canada), Skin Research Group of Canada (SRGC), Canadian Dermatology Foundation (CDF), Canadian Skin Patient Alliance (CSPA), and Canadian Society for Investigative Dermatology (CSID), will be held in conjunction with the 99th Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) Annual Conference. 

Abstract Submission Open – Deadline Friday April 26, 2024

Registration Open – Deadline Monday May 20, 2024

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT 

Paper Published by C-NeST Committee Members

The authors surveyed dermatologists and people with atopic dermatitis in Canada regarding their experience and perceptions of allergy testing, including patch testing, as part of atopic dermatitis management. They found a lot of heterogeneity in practice and experience, particularly for patch testing, suggesting that a clinical trial assessing its utility for atopic dermatitis could be useful.

Lee EY, Turchin I, Chan AW, Beecker J, Bissonnette R, Catherall H, Cresswell-Melville A, Gooderham M, Hawkins N, Hong HC, Levell NJ, Lapointe McKenzie JA, Manion R, Papp K, Drucker AM. Current practices of allergy testing in adults with atopic dermatitis in Canada: a national survey. J Cutan Med Surg. Mar 19, 2024:12034754241239260https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38504147

Can SkIN Canada help?

Request support for your study

SkIN Canada has launched a formal study intake process for investigators requesting support from the Network. Please visit our RESOURCES page for more information on how we can help with funding, patient engagement, database creation, project administration, ethics application, or statistical support. 

Feature Profiles

Early Career Investigator

Dr. Philippe Lefrancois is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, at McGill University. His laboratory focuses on enhancing understanding of skin cancers, particularly Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), which is the most prevalent of all human cancers. The aim is to enable patients to benefit from new targeted therapies and management options. The research involves defining the cellular and molecular phenotypes of aggressive BCC tumors. Computational biology, genomics, and molecular biology approaches are employed using various sample types, including data from cancer consortia, patient-derived tumors, publicly-available sequencing data from other patient cohorts, and primary cancer cell lines. The emphasis is on identifying novel signaling pathways and actionable targets for BCC, as well as characterizing the BCC tumor microenvironment with a focus on clinically-relevant features.

READ FULL INTERVIEW

Patient Research Partner

Dr. Morris Manolson is a Professor and Vice Dean, Research at the Faculty of Dentistry with a cross-appointment in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  He is also the President of the Canadian Connective Tissue Society.  His research, focusing on preventing excessive bone loss associated with osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis and periodontal disease, is funded by CIHR and NSERC, and has produced three patent applications and over 60 peer-reviewed papers which have accumulated over 5000 citations.  He received the “Quality of Life” award from the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research-Institute for Gender Health/Ontario Women’s Health Council Senior Investigator Award, both in recognition of his work towards preserving bone health in arthritis and osteoporosis. Even though he is primarily a researcher, within SkIN Canada, he has assumed the valuable role of a patient partner in multiple committees, actively contributing to research through various means.

READ FULL INTERVIEW

Featured Profiles - Team Development Award Recipients 2024

Dr. Aaron Drucker

Dr. Aaron Drucker is an Associate Professor, Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto and dermatologist and researcher specializing in epidemiology and evidence-based treatment of skin conditions. His research aims to enhance the well-being of individuals affected by inflammatory and neoplastic skin diseases by assessing risk factors, comorbidities, healthcare utilization, and evidence-backed therapies.

Team Development Award Project Title: Using pathology reports to enable population-based studies of rare skin disease.

Lay summary: Our new team of dermatologists, pathologists, researchers, and patients from multiple provinces in Canada will work together to unlock the potential of Canadian population-based data to study rare inflammatory skin diseases. We will demonstrate the feasibility of linking verified cases of bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris, 2 rare blistering diseases, with Ontario health data. If successful, we can apply this work to future research in other provinces and to answer questions that are important to patients and clinicians. Our proposal aligns with the SkIN Canada Team Development Award objective of encouraging novel teams to develop infrastructure to conduct research that will benefit patients living with skin conditions and aligns with the Rare Skin Diseases focus area.

Scientific summary: Our new team of medical dermatologists, dermatopathologists, health service researchers, and patients from multiple provinces in Canada will work together to unlock the potential of Canadian health administrative data to study rare inflammatory skin diseases. We will work together to develop case definitions of bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris based on pathology reports. We will apply those definitions to pathology reports in Ontario, and then link verified cases with other health administrative data. This will demonstrate the feasibility of using pathology reports to identify cases of rare skin diseases that can then be linked to study their epidemiology and health service utilization. We will use this preliminary work to expand our project to other provinces and answer questions about bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris in routinely collected administrative health data. Our proposal aligns with the SkIN Canada Team Development Award objective of encouraging novel teams to develop infrastructure to conduct research that will benefit patients living with skin conditions and aligns with the Rare Skin Diseases focus area. We will use SkIN Canada’s support to apply for additional funding to conduct population-based studies on immunobullous and other rare conditions with the aim of improving outcomes for people living with rare skin diseases.

Dr. Regine Mydlarski

Dr. Regine Mydlarski co-founded the Dermatology Residency Program at the University of Calgary in 2009 and served as the program director for six years. She gives selflessly to trainees across the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when dermatologists were challenged to provide care with health restrictions in place, Dr. Mydlarski supported the community by sharing facilities, supplies and reorganizing work and on-call schedules to ensure that patients with dermatological illnesses were not neglected.

As the Chair of the Dermatology Specialty Committee for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada since 2018, Dr. Mydlarski has provided strategic advice to ensure that dermatological training optimally prepares graduates to meet the healthcare needs of patients.

Dr. Mydlarski is the Director of the Translational Research Program in Calgary, has several Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Canadian Dermatology Foundation (CDF) funded projects underway; she has been such a driving force behind research at the University of Calgary that she now has a resident research award named in her honour.

In her current role as Calgary’s Dermatology Division Head, Dr. Mydlarski has expanded the division’s footprint, opening up a new position for a Mohs surgeon.

Team Development Award Project Title: Canadian Transplant Dermatology Research Network

Lay Abstract: Solid organ transplant recipients are at a much higher risk of developing skin problems, especially skin cancer. Skin cancers in these patients can significantly impact their quality of life as they are more likely to recur and spread to other parts of the body. Many important questions about how to best diagnose, treat, and prevent skin cancer in organ transplant patients remain unanswered. Therefore, we propose to create a research network of skin doctors nationwide to investigate skin disease in transplant patients. This group of skin doctors will work alongside transplant patients to set national research priorities, share information between centres, and combine resources to conduct large projects that otherwise would not be completed. Initial projects might include studying skin cancer prevention strategies or establishing risk prediction tools to identify patients at higher risk of skin
cancer. These results could directly change clinical practice and improve the lives of the many Canadians with organ transplants.

Scientifc Summary: Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) are at high risk of skin cancer, and keratinocyte carcinomas (KC) are a significant source of morbidity and mortality. Research in the field of transplant dermatology to address the complex care needs of these patients is limited by the absence of an interdisciplinary, national research network that can collaborate to identify critical areas for shared future inquiry, share relevant data, and complete large-scale research studies. Therefore, we propose a Canadian transplant dermatology research network that connects and supports dermatologists and patient stakeholders nationwide in identifying innovative solutions for the skin problems facing SOTRs. Key work plan milestones are to: 1) conduct a priority-setting initiative to identify the most pressing issues in transplant dermatology; 2) recruit additional sites and physician members; and 3) create a national shared transplant dermatology database using SkIN Canada’s data-sharing agreements. Potential early areas of research focus will include identifying chemoprophylactic strategies, effective risk prediction tools, and imaging modalities for advanced or recurrent cancer. We predict this network will have numerous associated benefits, such as: a) pooled resources and collaboration to encourage the completion of ongoing studies and expand the potential scale of future projects; b) a national repository of clinical, biochemical, and histopathologic data to direct future population-based analyses to identify modifiable risk factors and cost-effective preventative strategies; and c) interdisciplinary and multisite collaboration to improve study design, execution, and each individual participating locations’ research culture, processes, and systems based on the experiences of other institutions. The overarching goal of our proposal is to identify innovative research projects and develop cost-effective healthcare solutions for the skin challenges encountered by SOTRs. More specifically, our proposal builds capacity to address a Top Ten research priority identified by SkIN Canada: chemoprevention for squamous cell carcinoma in transplant recipients.

From the Training Committee Hub

Skin Canada Travel and Mobility Awards –

Spring Application Deadline May 15, 2024

1. The deadline for the next SkIN Canada Trainee Travel Award is Wednesday May 15 (2024) before 11:59 PM ETSkIN Canada provides partial funding for trainees to attend conferences as part of their training experience. A limited number of awards are available each year on a competitive basis. There will be two competition periods per year, one in May and one in October. Applicants who have previously received funding through this program in a fiscal year are not eligible to receive funding until the following fiscal year. The value of the SkIN Canada Travel Award is a maximum of $1,000 CAD. 

 

2. The deadline for the next SkIN Canada Trainee Mobility Award is Wednesday May 15 (2024) before 11:59 PM ETThe SkIN Canada Trainee Mobility Award provides funding for trainees in the field of skin research to study and conduct research for a brief period in a laboratory other than their own within Canada or abroad as part of their training experience. A limited number of awards are available each year on a competitive basis.  There will be two competition periods per year, one in May and one in October. Applicants are eligible for the award only once during a particular training period or level of study (e.g. MSc, PhD, Clinical residency, or Postdoctoral training).
        The value of the Skin Canada Trainee Mobility Award is up to $4,000 which can be used for the trainee’s research stay in a host laboratory within Canada or abroad for a period ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months. 

LEARN MORE

 

Skin Canada Training Committee

The Training Committee represents skin research trainees from across Canada and considers regional representation to be valuable. The committee currently has an opening for a PhD student or a post-doctoral fellow from any of the Western Provinces. If interested in joining this dynamic committee, please send your expression of interest and CV  to info@skincanada.org

Topics of Interest to Skin Research Trainees

The upcoming Canadian Skin Research Conference in Ottawa (June 25-27, 2024) will include a workshop for trainees on ‘professional development’ and a session on ‘Skin of Color Research’. All trainees are encouraged to participate. There is no registration fee.

Abstract Submission Open – Deadline Friday April 26, 2024

Registration Open – Deadline Monday May 20, 2024 

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT

News from other Organizations

CIHR National Oral Health Research Strategy

In light of the global shifts in health and scientific advancements, alongside the ongoing efforts in oral health and oral health care on a global scale and within Canada, CIHR’s Institute for Musculoskeletal Health & Arthritis (IMHA) has recognized a significant opportunity to develop Canada’s inaugural national oral health research strategy (NOHRS). Working closely with key stakeholders such as the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD), Canadian Association of Dental Research (CADR), Network for Canadian Oral Health Research (NCOHR), Canadian Dental Association (CDA), Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA), the Denturist Association of Canada (DAC), and the Canadian Dental Therapists Association (CDTA), IMHA convened an in-person meeting in Ottawa in March 2023 to kickstart the NOHRS creation process. This overview presents the primary research themes identified during that gathering, as well as the forthcoming steps leading to the publication of NOHRS in March 2024.

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Genodermatoses Network Meeting

Open Call: Participation in Project on Indigenous Patients with Atopic Dermatitis
 
This is an open call for those interested in helping to develop a proposal involving formation of a national east-west collaborative interdisciplinary engagement initiative and culturally safe model aiming to improve care for Canadian Indigenous peoples living with or caring for those with atopic dermatitis. Co-PIs include Drs. Rachel Asiniwasis (University of Saskatchewan), Carolyn Jack (McGill), and Derek Chu (McMaster). 


Please forward your CV to remotederm@outlook.com, particularly if you have experience with:
•    public and community health
•    qualitative and mixed-methods research
•    CIHR grant writing
•    Indigenous health and skin of colour
•    using guidelines involving meaningful and culturally safe practices and plans. 

The team is also looking for another Co-PI from BC or Alberta.


 

Keen-on Healing Fibrosis Symposium –
October 18-19 2024

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Pfizer Global Medical Grants – Request for Proposals
 
Pfizer Global Medical Grants (GMG) supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement, or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical and/or scientific strategies.

Specific Area of Interest:  Projects that will be considered for Pfizer support will focus on educational programs addressing knowledge and practice gaps specific to the overall care management of atopic dermatitis (AD), Alopecia Areata (AA), or Vitilgo. If you have questions regarding this RFP, please direct them in writing to Sue Lee, Grant Officer (sue.lee@pfizer.com). Application Due Date: Monday April 15, 2024.
 

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Recent Publications by SkIN Canada Members
 
Inflammatory Skin Conditions
  1. Zabihi H, Shojaei D, Seigel K, Al-Dehneem R, Piguet V, Croitoru DO. Evaluating the Clinical Utility of Sulfasalazine in the Treatment of Pyoderma Gangrenosum: A Systematic Review. J Cutan Med Surg. Mar 10 2024:12034754241238713.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38462891
  2. Metko D, Mehta S, Piguet V. Cannabis Usage Among Patients With Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Scoping Review. J Cutan Med Surg. Mar 10 2024:12034754241238719.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38462895
  3. Riaz S, Emam S, Wang T, Gniadecki R. Negative impact of comorbidities on all-cause mortality of psoriasis patients is partially alleviated by biologic treatment: A real-world, case-control study. J Am Acad Dermatol. Feb 20 2024.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38387852
  4. Chu AWL, Wong MM, Rayner DG, Guyatt GH, Diaz Martinez JP, Ceccacci R, Zhao IX, McMullen E, Srivastava A, Wang J, Wen A, Wang FC, Brignardello-Petersen R, Izcovich A, Oykhman P, Wheeler KE, Wang J, Spergel JM, Singh JA, Silverberg JI, Ong PY, O’Brien M, Martin SA, Lio PA, Lind ML, LeBovidge J, Kim E, Huynh J, Greenhawt M, Gardner DD, Frazier WT, Ellison K, Chen L, Capozza K, De Benedetto A, Boguniewicz M, Smith Begolka W, Asiniwasis RN, Schneider LC, Chu DK. Systemic treatments for atopic dermatitis (eczema): Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. Dec 2023;152(6):1470-1492.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37678577
  5. Machlab K, Yeung J, Gooderham M. Risankizumab in Adults with Psoriatic Arthritis. Skin Therapy Lett. Nov 2023;28(6):1-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38015960
 

Read more

 

Wound Healing, Fibrosis and Regeneration

  1. Khalaf F, Hutter MF, Jeschke MG. Traversing the blaze: Uncovering the challenges in burn care for older adults. Surgery. Oct 11 2023.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37833154
  2. Sanchez-Espino LF, Sibbald C, Stimec J, Laxer RM, Pope E. Characteristics and onset of presentation of pediatric stiff skin syndrome: A retrospective cohort study of 11 patients in a tertiary care center. Pediatr Dermatol. Oct 20 2023.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37864376
  3. Sierra-Sanchez A, Magne B, Savard E, Martel C, Ferland K, Barbier MA, Demers A, Larouche D, Arias-Santiago S, Germain L. In vitro comparison of human plasma-based and self-assembled tissue-engineered skin substitutes: two different manufacturing processes for the treatment of deep and difficult to heal injuries. Burns Trauma. 2023;11:tkad043.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37908563
  4. Matthewman J, Tadrous M, Mansfield KE, Thiruchelvam D, Redelmeier DA, Cheung AM, Lega IC, Prieto-Alhambra D, Cunliffe LA, Mulick A, Henderson A, Langan SM, Drucker AM. Association of Different Prescribing Patterns for Oral Corticosteroids With Fracture Preventive Care Among Older Adults in the UK and Ontario. JAMA Dermatol. Aug 9 2023.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37556153
  5. Yang Y, Gomez N, Infarinato N, Adam RC, Sribour M, Baek I, Laurin M, Fuchs E. The pioneer factor SOX9 competes for epigenetic factors to switch stem cell fates. Nature cell biology. Jul 24 2023.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37488435

 

Read more


Skin and Other Cancers
 
  1. Huang Y, Fleming P, Fung K, Chan AW. Association between dermatology follow-up and melanoma survival: a population-based cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol. Feb 16 2024.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38368952
  2. Venables ZC, Gran S, Levell NJ, Yiu ZZN, Proby CM. International melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer mortality trends – is it time to re-focus our attention? Clin Exp Dermatol. Dec 7 2023.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38060677
  3. Mohsen ST, Price EL, Chan AW, Hanna TP, Limacher JJ, Nessim C, Shiers JE, Tron V, Wright FC, Drucker AM. Incidence, Mortality, and Survival of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of Population Based-Studies. The British journal of dermatology. Oct 24 2023.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37874770
  4. Joly-Chevrier M, Aly S, Lefrancois P. Quality Assessment of Skin Cancer Videos Calls for Improved Patient Content: A YouTube Cross-Sectional Study. J Cutan Med Surg. May 24 2023:12034754231174847.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37226286
  5. Mirali S, Tang E, Drucker AM, Turchin I, Gooderham M, Levell N, Beecker J, Bissonnette R, Catherall H, Lapointe McKenzie JA, Hawkins N, Hong CH, Kalia S, Papp K, Chan AW. Follow-up of Patients With Keratinocyte Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines. JAMA Dermatol. Jan 1 2023;159(1):87-94.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36322063/
 
 

Other
 
  1. Martindale APL, Ng B, Ngai V, Kale AU, Ferrante di Ruffano L, Golub RM, Collins GS, Moher D, McCradden MD, Oakden-Rayner L, Rivera SC, Calvert M, Kelly CJ, Lee CS, Yau C, Chan AW, Keane PA, Beam AL, Denniston AK, Liu X. Concordance of randomised controlled trials for artificial intelligence interventions with the CONSORT-AI reporting guidelines. Nature communications. Feb 22 2024;15(1):1619.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38388497
  2. Weng J, Zhou LL, Hahn T, Shojania K, Dutz J. Adult-Onset Still Disease After ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 Vaccination. J Rheumatol. Feb 2023;50(2):290-291.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35970527/
  3. Tafech B, Mohabatpour F, Hedtrich S. Surface modification of lipid nanoparticles for gene therapy. J Gene Med. Dec 3 2023:e3642.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38043928
  4. Pope E, Lara-Corrales I, Rehmus W, Ramien M, Spring S, McCuaig C, Fiorillo L, Sibbald C, Bergman J. Pediatric Dermatology in Canada: A Broad Review of Population Needs, Workforce and Training With Proposed Solutions. J Cutan Med Surg. Oct 12 2023:12034754231204865.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37823355
  5. Loewa A, Feng JJ, Hedtrich S. Human disease models in drug development. Nat Rev Bioeng. May 11 2023:1-15.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37359774
 

SkIN Canada Executive Committee