Clinical Trials

This study is collecting skin, hair, nail, blood,saliva, skin and/or buccal swabs, and mucous membrane (part of your skin which lines bodypassages and cavities such as the inside of your mouth or nose), and other tissue samples for usein a biorepository. By operating this biorepository, the Department of Dermatology hopes todevelop a better understanding of skin diseases (meaning the knowledge about how cells in theskin behave and react to medical treatments) among researchers at Northwestern University andother approved researchers. This basic knowledge is expected to help the development of moreeffective patient care and new treatment methods.

The aim this study is to collaboratively advance knowledge about epidermolysis bullosa (EB) by collecting clinical data from patients with EB from multiple EB centers in the United States and Canada.  As EB is a rare disease, coordination and collaboration between multiple centers will help our understanding of disease manifestations, course, and complications, with the aim of improving future care, expanding clinical and translational research, and finding an eventual cure for individuals with EB. 

The main goal of this study is to test the efficacy and safety of topical Naloxone for itching in patients with MF.

EGFR inhibitors are biologic agents used to treat certain cancers including non-small cell lung, colorectal, head and neck, and pancreatic carcinomas. These agents often have a side effect of an acne like rash that in some cases can be quite severe. This rash has been shown to be inflammatory in origin but is currently treated with antibiotics if it appears. The main goal of this study is to test if patients treated with steroid cream, (added) which is an anti-inflammatory medication, (added) before a rash develops have a less severe rash than patients who do not use a steroid cream before a rash develops.

Volunteers are needed for a study on the microbiome of subjects with and without vitiligo. For patients with vitiligo and without vitiligo, the study will include an initial visit, at which time swab or tape strip samples of the skin and swab samples of stool will be collected. All subjects will be asked to complete questionnaires about their skin care regimen and dietary habits. Subjects with vitiligo will be required to follow up for additional specimen collection and questionnaire completion after six months and one year.

This is a clinical research studyto evaluate nighttime scratching behavior and sleep quality in patients withatopic dermatitis (AD). Participants will be required to come in for onein-person visit and will be required to wear wireless sensors to tracknighttime scratching behavior and sleep quality. Use of a smartphone with ourstudy app and infrared camera to collect data, completion of daily surveysthroughout the study, as well as one remote video chat at the end of the studywill be required. 

The purpose of this study is to investigate if systemic psoriasis medication changes the makeup of lipoproteins (substances made up of fat and protein), cholesterol, and other proteins in the blood. 

This is a clinical research study that aims to determine if there is an improvement in eczema in children when they wear superfine merino wool clothing. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups and begin with wool garments for 6 weeks and switch to standard garments for 6 weeks or begin with standard garments for 6 weeks and switch to wool garments for a further 6 weeks. Participants will attend follow-up appointments at 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks where severity of eczema,quality of life, and any side effects will be assessed. Wool clothing and laundry detergent will be provided for the duration of the entire study. 

The main purpose of the study is to test the safety and effectiveness of a study device called Skin Hydration Sensor to measure water loss in dry skin from atopic dermatitis (eczema) or xerosis cutis (abnormally dry skin) compared to normal skin. 

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness, safety (tolerability), and duration of treatment response at 12 weeks of home versus office-based narrowband UVB phototherapy for the treatment of psoriasis. Phototherapy delivered at home or the office are both common treatments for psoriasis but it is not known how well they compare to one another.

This study will test if low-dose oral minoxidil has an effect on permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (defined as hair loss after the completion of a chemotherapy regimen that persists for over six months). In this study, you will receive the study drug; there is no placebo option. The effectiveness and safety of the treatment will be determined by a range of assessments, including biopsies, images, and subjective evaluation of perceived hair growth.

The purpose of this research study is to see if guselkumab is safe and effective for treating patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, and to find out how long guselkumab stays in and acts on the body and how the body reacts to it. This is shown by laboratory blood tests. Another purpose is to find out if guselkumab can cause side effects (unexpected or unwanted reactions from taking a drug).

The purpose of this research is to observe patients with skin conditions in a ‘real world’ setting and to create an patient registry of skin conditions, to better understand these diseases and how they are treated. A patient registry is a collection of information about a group of patients who share a condition or experience.Additionally, researchers are interested in:Observing how skin condition treatments work and understand side effects caused by these medicines and how these are managedIdentifying other types of conditions associated with skin disordersCollecting patient reported outcomes to better understand the patient perspective and feelings patients have about having a skin conditionAssessing the impact of Patient Support Programs for individuals with skin conditions and how these programs affect skin condition outcomesCreating a “Biorepository Specimen Bank” with blood and saliva samples

This is a clinical research study to test the safety and effectiveness of the study drug, pembrolizumab, in treating patients with an aggressive lymphoma or a histiocyte or dendritic cell neoplasm (tumor) that has not responded to or has come back after other treatments. The effectiveness and safety of the treatment will be determined by a range of assessments including biopsies, scans (or imaging tests), as well as general health and performance status.

The purpose of this study is to test and develop Blue Light therapy for skin diseases like psoriasis or Grover’s disease. Blue light therapy has been used for treatment of other dermatological conditions. 

This research is being done to look at the safety and how well ustekinumab works in the treatment of individuals with ichthyosis. Participants will be in the study up to approximately 2 years. 

The main purpose of this study is to better understand the characteristics of various dermatologic diseases compared to healthy controls. The research team will do this by acquiring tape strips from subjects, a quick, painless, and non-invasive way to obtain skin cells. This study will collect tape strip samples from a broad range of dermatologic diseases, which may include psoriasis, epidermolysis bullosa, atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis, and other rare conditions, in addition to healthy controls. 

This study is being performed to better understand the causes of skin disorders by investigating changes to genes or the way they are expressed in individuals with a skin condition. This study will also explore the microbiome of the skin. Photographs and non-invasive patch biopsy samples will be collected. 

This study is being done to understand how Acanthosis Nigricans develops in order to develop targets for drugs to be developed in the future. Participants will be in the study for up to 2 weeks and will provide skin biopsies and blood. Photos and medical history will also be collected. 

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a soft, wearable silicone skin sensor placed on the back of the hand for detection of scratch during the day, as well as how good it is at sending out haptic feedback when you are scratching. Haptic feedback is the use of vibrations to notify the user; it is the same concept as vibrations on your phone when you get an alert or notification. We hope to be able to help people recognize when they are scratching during the day if it is habitual or subconscious and hopefully decrease the amount of scratching.

The purpose of this study is to provide use of the gene therapy study drug Beremagene Geperpavec (B-VEC) for participants who have previously completed the parent phase 3 study or for those who were unable to participate in the phase 3 study and would now like to receive treatment with the study drug. 

The purpose of this study is to collect characteristic data from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) or other chronic inflammatory skin disorders (CISDs), such as chronic urticaria, generalized pruritus, prurigo nodularis, pemphigus vulgaris, bullous pemphigoid, mycosis fungoides, cutaneous T cell lymphoma, psoriasis, hidradenitis through an online survey.

The purpose of this study is to determine the highest dose of the study drug that can be given safely to patients with pemphigus vulgaris. The study will test how the study drug affects desmoglein 3 (DSG3) autoantibody amounts in your body.  DSG3 is responsible for holding together the cells lining the inside of the mouth, nose, throat, eyelids and genitals, causing the painful blisters commonly seen in patients with pemphigus vulgaris. The study will also look at how long the study drug stays in your body, and if the study drug improves the symptoms that you are experiencing with the pemphigus vulgaris.

The purpose of this study is to determine if an investigational cream, ruxolitinib cream (0.75% and 1.5%strengths), is safe and effective to treat atopic dermatitis (eczema) in children.

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability (how well treatment is tolerated) of tapinarof cream, 1% (a topical treatment) when applied once daily for 27 days on the surface of the skin of individuals with Atopic Dermatitis (eczema).

The purpose of this study is to find out how long ustekinumab stays in and acts in the body. It is investigating how much ustekinumab is present in people's bodies (called a "drug level"). This is measured by blood tests. Another purpose is to find out if ustekinumab can cause side effects, which are unexpected or unwanted reactions from taking a drug. Study participation is a maximum of 16 weeks. No study drug will be provided for this study, only study procedures (blood draw, specific vital signs) will be performed.

The purpose of this study is to determine if individuals with PPD allergies react to synthetic melanin (the pigment that gives your skin its color) or the compounds that comprise it. Most commercial hair dyes contain PPD, a compound that is known to cause allergic reactions. This study aims to investigate the possibility of using synthetic melanin as a hair dye as an alternative.

This study is being done to evaluate the safety and tolerability of tapinarof cream, 1% in children and adolescents with plaque psoriasis. This study will also measure the quantity of the study drug in your blood, if any. The efficacy, how well the study drug works, will also be evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a new experimental drug named lacutamab (IPH4102).