Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow, Professor of Dermatology joins IGMM

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Sara’s appointment, as a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Science and Professor of Dermatology, combines forefront genetic science with clinically driven questions and brings a new focus on skin disease to the IGMM.

Sara’s research aims to understand the molecular genetic mechanisms leading to atopic eczema with the long-term goal of designing more targeted therapies. Eczema is a common inflammatory skin condition that ranges in severity from minor disease to severe, widespread inflammation, causing intense itch, with resulting skin infections, pain and sleep deprivation. Eczema has a profound impact on the quality of life of patients as well as their families. This is compounded by the other atopic conditions (asthma, hay fever and food allergy) which are often associated with eczema.

Genetic studies have substantially improved our understanding of what causes eczema, since an individual’s genetic make-up determines how the skin functions in health and disease. But eczema is a very complex condition and there is still a lot we do not understand

Professor Sara Brown

The Brown Lab uses a variety of techniques to address outstanding questions with respect to genetic risk of atopic disease, molecular mechanisms at loci associated with eczema and genetic interactions with environmental risk factors. Skin is an organ that can be successfully modelled in vitro, offering powerful opportunities for detailed molecular, genetic and functional studies.

The Brown Lab relocated from the University of Dundee to the University of Edinburgh in December 2020, with substantial funding from the Wellcome Trust, British Skin Foundation, Horizon 2020 and philanthropic donations. Sara also holds an affiliation with CIR; she is delighted to have the opportunity to establish her lab in CGEM as part of the IGMM because of the exceptional opportunities for collaboration at the forefront of genetics and translational research that are provided by this highly interdisciplinary research environment.

We are delighted to welcome Sara to the Centre, adding her widely respected expertise as a key opinion leader in molecular dermatology and clinical science.  This significantly enhances our growing reputation as a leading centre for translational medicine and genetics.

Professor Tim Aitman

Links

Sara Brown Research Group website