Charles-Schoeman Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2025

Understanding Mechanisms Driving Poor Outcomes in Women with Dermatomyositis

Project Summary Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare autoimmune disease, affecting predominantly women, particularly Black women, which associates with marked disease-related morbidity as well as a 10-fold increased risk of death. DM is characterized by muscle weakness and skin rashes, but over 70% of patients may also develop interstitial lung disease (ILD), referred to as myositis associated ILD (MA-ILD), a leading driver of early mortality. Our preliminary data suggests that Black women have higher quantitative lung fibrosis scores reflective of irreversible lung damage compared to White women upon specialty center referral. Our data also suggests that microvascular inflammation and impaired…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.