Research
Drs. Hull and Elhaji receive $415,000 research grant; first Canadian recipients
Dr. Peter Hull, with the Department of Medicine’s Division of Clinical Dermatology and Cutaneous Science, and Dr. Youssef Elhaji, are recent recipients of a $415,000 grant from the Leo Foundation. The foundation is focused on promoting worldwide dermatological research.
Drs. Hull and Elhaji are the first Canadian researchers to receive a grant from the foundation based out of Denmark.
Contributing better treatments for melanoma and psoriasis
Our division is actively engaged in researching ways to improve patient care and increase understanding of skin health and disease. Our faculty supports this initiative by regularly presenting at national and international conferences, and by frequent publication in peer-reviewed journals.
For example, Dr. Richard Langley has received worldwide recognition for his research in the early detection of melanoma and treatment of psoriasis. In addition to overseeing a broad-based program of clinical trials, he also runs an active multi-faceted program that includes original work in the study of cutaneous melanoma—a potentially lethal form of skin cancer.
His work with melanoma involves a novel diagnostic treatment: an in vivo confocal scanning laser microscope. It’s the first of its kind in Canada, and it enables instantaneous, high-resolution images of the skin at the cellular level.
Dr. Langley is also involved in clinical trial research with phase I-IV clinical research trials. The program is studying new treatments for conditions such as:
- psoriasis
- atopic dermatitis
- skin cancer
- other inflammatory and infectious skin diseases