At the Royal North Shore Hospital Department of Dermatology Clinical and Translational Medicine Laboratory, we focus on three key areas including clinical trials, clinical projects and translational studies.
It can take more than 30 years from the discovery of a new medicine in the laboratory to the approved use of that compound with a patient in a clinic. It can then be another decade before that medicine is widely adopted by the medical community.
Our research team accelerates this entire process in three important ways. Firstly, by being actively involved in clinical trials, we can offer our patients immediate access to the latest and most advanced medicines.
Secondly, we conduct clinical studies to improve our understanding of the use of existing and new medicines, alongside projects to improve the early diagnosis and recognition of diseases.
And lastly, we perform laboratory experiments, with a focus on clinical observation and human tissues to better understand the causes of these conditions.
Ultimately, this means we are able to contribute to the discovery of new and targeted therapies for all dermatological conditions.
Lead
People
Network
Projects
Dr Esther Hong
Head of Department, Dermatology
Clinical Senior Lecturer, Sydney Medical School
The University of Sydney
Staff Specialist Dermatologist
Royal North Shore Hospital
Dr Geoffrey Lee
Clinical Senior Lecturer
Sydney Medical School
The University of Sydney
Head of Dermatology Research
Staff Specialist
Royal North Shore Hospital
Dr Emma Smith PhD
Clinical Trials Coordinator
Erin Mewton
Transitional Nurse Practitioner
Helen Sun
Dermatology Research Fellow
Haley Young
Clinical Nurse Consultant
A/Prof Gayle Fischer OAM
Associate Professor
Dermatology, Sydney Medical School
The University of Sydney
Staff Specialist, Vulval & Paediatric Dermatology
Royal North Shore Hospital
Dr Adrian Lim
Dermatologist
Royal North Shore Hospital
A/Prof Stephen Shunmack
Staff Specialist
Male Genital & General Dermatology
Dr William Ryman
Staff Specialist
Mohs Micrographic Skin Cancer Surgery
Dr Gilberto Moreno
Staff Specialist
Skin Cancer Surgery
Dr Emily Forward
Staff Specialist
General Dermatology
Clinical Trials:
Clinical trials conducted at our site are part of international multi-centre clinical trials. All of the trials are aiming to bring the latest and most advanced therapies to our patients. We mainly conduct phase 3 clinical trials as we believe that it is a stage that is most beneficial for our volunteer participants (patients). To enquire about any of our existing or upcoming clinical trials, please contact our Clinical Trials Coordinator, Dr Emma Smith, PhD: Emma.Smith2@health.nsw.gov.au
Current Clinical Trials:
ROCKET-ORBIT – Phase 3, Open to recruitment
A Phase 3, Open-label, 52-week Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Rocatinlimab (AMG 451) in Adolescent Subjects Aged ≥ 12 to < 18 years With Moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis (AD) (ROCKET-Orbit)
Abrocitinib Expanded Access Protocol for the Treatment of Adolescents and Adults with Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis
Translational Laboratory:
The purpose of the Royal North Shore Hospital Department of Dermatology Translational Medicine Laboratory is to discover and refine better and accessible therapies through clinically relevant laboratory studies. We aim to be the premier laboratory for dermatology translational studies and for dermatological clinician-scientists to work globally.
We hope that within our lifetimes we will see targeted therapies for all dermatological conditions. We are well placed to achieve this given our talented team, our access to state of the art equipment within the Kolling Institute and the University of Sydney, and our emphasis on clinical observation.
Current Translational Projects:
- Cellular and molecular pathophysiology of chronic vulvovaginal candidiasis (CVVC).
The lifetime risk of a woman developing CVVC is as high as 5%. CVVC is continuous and unremitting, and its causes are poorly understood. With our clinical observation that post-menopausal women who have commenced hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are significantly more likely to develop CVVC (49% vs 1%), we are investigating the intrinsic cellular, molecular, and proteomic changes that occur during HRT, to understand why these women are at a higher risk of developing chronic vulvovaginal candidiasis
- Targeting synaptic gating with piloerection and frisson to ameliorate pruritus.
Pruritus (itch) is the flagship symptom of many dermatological, oncological, and chronic systemic conditions, however unlike pain, there are currently no targeted therapies for pruritus. There are both central and peripheral, inflammatory and neurogenic, mediators of pruritus, and we have observed clinically that patients who experience frisson-associated goosebumps no longer have itch symptoms. We aim to determine how to pharmacologically target piloerection and frisson to treat pruritus.
To enquire about any of our existing or upcoming translational studies, please contact our Research Fellow: geoffrey.lee@health.nsw.gov.au
