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PhD: increasing YAP/TAZ to accelerate wound healing
A proof-of-concept study to determine new therapeutic opportunities for improved wound healing.
Dr Walko works at the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), UK, supervising this PhD project that will train a new EB researcher.
The aim is to provide proof-of-concept for a new type of treatment that is hoped will increase the number of cells that move to sites of damaged JEB skin.
About our funding
Research Leader |
Dr Gernot Walko |
Institution |
Queen Mary University of London/Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry/Institute of Dentistry/Centre for Oral Immunobiology and Regenerative Medicine |
Types of EB | JEB |
Patient involvement | No |
Funding amount |
£139,962 co funded with DEBRA France |
Project length | 4 years |
Start date | TBC 2025 |
DEBRA internal ID |
GR000077 |
Project details
Due 2026.
Lead researcher:
Dr Gernot Walko is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Centre for Oral Immunobiology and Regenerative Medicine at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)’s Institute of Dentistry. Dr Walko did his PhD in the group of Prof Gerhard Wiche at the University of Vienna (Austria), where his research focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying the EB-type skin blistering diseases EBS-MD and EBS-Ogna. In 2013, Dr Walko joined the world-leading skin biology research group of Prof Fiona Watt at King’s College London (UK) where his research focused on the molecular mechanisms controlling self-renewal of human epidermal stem cells. Dr Walko continues to pursue in his independent research career, first at the University of Bath (2018-2024), and now at QMUL.
Co-researchers:
Dr Emanuel Rognoni is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Biology at QMUL’s Blizard Institute with >14 years of experience in skin biology research.
Dr Matthew Caley is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Biology at QMUL’s Blizard Institute with more than a decade of experience in skin research.
In collaboration with:
Prof Jason Carroll, FMedSci, Professor of Molecular Oncology and Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, UK.
Dr Angus Cameron is a Principal Investigator and Associate Professor (Reader) at QMUL’s Barts Cancer Institute.
“The data generated within this PhD student project will put us in an excellent position to translate our findings into a wound healing therapy for JEB skin, once more YAP/TAZ-reactivating compounds are entering clinical trials.”
– Dr Gernot Walko
Grant title: Improving the regenerative capacity of Junctional EB skin by re-activating YAP/TAZ signalling.
Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) is a rare genetic skin disease leading to widespread blistering and impaired wound healing. This is caused by loss of vital proteins that anchor the outer skin layer to the rest of the body. The most severe form, JEB severe, is caused by loss of function of a protein called laminin-332, which is a key component of the skin’s anchoring structures. Patients with JEB suffer from failure to thrive, poor wound healing, severe skin pain, and high risk of blood poisoning (sepsis).
Poor healing of JEB skin is linked to dramatically reduced levels of two proteins called YAP and TAZ in skin cells. YAP/TAZ normally work in the cell nucleus where they promote the expression of genes that allow skin cells to multiply and to migrate in response to skin wounding. Recently, several pharmaceutical compounds have been developed that can increase nuclear levels of YAP/TAZ by blocking upstream negative regulatory signals. In this PhD studentship, we will explore if these compounds can be used to (i) re-activate nuclear YAP/TAZ expression in JEB skin cells (Aim-1), and (ii) to consequently improve skin health and to accelerate wound healing (Aims-2&3).
This proof-of-concept study will determine if transient re-activation of YAP/TAZ in JEB skin could offer novel therapeutic opportunities for improved wound healing. This research will put us into pole position for drug re-purposing studies once more YAP/TAZ signalling activators are being tested in clinical trials for regenerative medicine applications.
Due 2026.