The Clinical Trials Department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been dedicated to finding novel treatments and therapies for a variety of skin conditions for over 25 years. Our research program, including faculty, residents and fellows, has played a critical role in the approval of several new drugs for the treatment of skin cancer, psoriasis, eczema, acne, wrinkles, and viral an
d fungal infections of the skin. For example, imiquimod, which is now approved for the treatment of precancerous skin lesions and is the first topical therapy approved for the treatment of skin cancers, was first studied in our department. Members of our clinical research team have also developed one of the first clinically useful pharmacogenomics tests (tests to identify genetic changes which will predict which patients will respond to particular medications). Department Research Topics:
Skin Cancer Research
Research in skin cancer has led to the identification of a substance that suppresses the development of chemical and ultraviolet induced skin cancers in animal models. This new drug shows promise in the prevention of skin cancers, as well as age-related skin changes. Psoriasis Treatments
Our clinical trials in psoriasis have demonstrated that ultraviolet light can be blocked by many psoriasis treatments applied to the skin and, in reverse, that some topical therapies are inactivated by ultraviolet light. Combinations of topical therapies that are incompatible have also been identified. We have a state-of-the-art Infusion Center where patients receive treatment with the new biologic therapies recently developed for psoriasis and blistering diseases such as pemphigus. Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum
Our research staff is studying 500 patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum, a condition that is a model for accelerated aging characterized by prematurely aged skin, eye disease, and accelerated heart disease. An abnormal fetal protein responsible for the condition has been identified. Of even greater importance, a model in which adult fibroblasts can dedifferentiate to produce a fetal protein has been developed that may enable diagnosis of pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Scleroderma
Members of our staff have contributed greatly to the pathogenesis and treatment of scleroderma. New Dermatologic Drugs
We have worked on the development of many new dermatologic drugs for conditions such as psoriasis, skin cancer, mycosis fungoides, herpes, acne, onychomycosis, alopecia, eczema, and others. For more information about ongoing clinical trials for which you may qualify, contact Giselle Singer at 212-241-3288 or via email: giselle.singer@mssm.edu.
