An observational study in Primary Immunodeficiency, Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis, sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-03.
Sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) · Observational
Background:
The immune system is the part of the body that fights infection. Some people have immune deficiencies that cause skin rashes, make them get sick often with infections, or make it difficult for their skin to heal. Researchers want to learn more to better treat conditions that affect immune response.
Objective:
To learn about how the immune system and skin healing are related to each other.
Eligibility:
People ages 18-75 with primary immune deficiency, eczema, or psoriasis. Healthy volunteers are also needed.
Design:
Participants will be screened with a medical and medicine history and a physical exam. They may take a pregnancy test.
Participants will discuss the medicines or supplements they take as well as skin products they use, such as soaps and lotions.
Participants will have up to 4 skin biopsies taken from the forearm. A needle will inject an anesthetic into the skin where the biopsy will be done. A sharp tool that looks like a tiny cookie cutter will be used to remove a round plug of skin a bit smaller than the tip of a pencil.
Participants will give at least 1 blood sample.
Participants may have optional skin swab collection. A cotton swab will be used to swab the skin on the arm.
Participants may have optional skin tape collection. A sticky strip of tape will be placed on the arm and then removed.
Participants may give leftover samples taken as part of their regular medical care.
Participation will last for about 4 days. Participants will have 2 visits that each last about 1 hour. They may be asked to repeat the study in the future.
Study Description:
This is an exploratory sample collection study enrolling adult healthy volunteers and patients with immune-mediated diseases to elucidate the metabolic signatures associated with immune-mediated diseases. We hypothesize that activation of, and responses to, specific immune pathways will require metabolic changes within cells, serum, and skin.
Following screening and baseline procedures, including blood draw, participants who are able to attend onsite visits will undergo skin biopsies. The skin biopsies will involve up to 4 biopsies: 2 initial punch biopsies 2 mm in diameter, optionally followed by 1 or 2 punch biopsies 3 (+/-10) days later using a 3-mm punch to encompass the initial biopsy site(s), capturing the tissue at 3-14 days of healing. There will be an option for blister induction to maximize keratinocyte collection. Blister induction involves creating 8 blisters on the forearm and removing the tops of the blisters for primary cell culture derivation. In addition, skin swabs and tape strips may be collected to assess for microbial or host markers of epithelial repair. Peripheral blood and functional signatures will be collected with the initial and follow-up biopsies to compare metabolic and functional signatures in peripheral blood cells and serum with those in the skin. Urine may be collected in order to detect metabolites that are not as easily detected in the blood. After day 0 (or 3-14, if the participant has that optional visit), participation in the study will be complete. At-home participants who cannot attend onsite visits may enroll for survey
data collection and optional at-home sample collection (with at least one sample type required). Exposome data will be collected to assess how environmental, occupational, and dietary exposures associate with the results.
Samples and data will be stored for future research use.
Objectives:
Primary Objectives:
Secondary Objectives:
Not applicable.
Exploratory Objective:
Evaluate how metabolic profiles in immune activation vary with differing occupational, environmental, and/or dietary exposures.
Endpoints:
Primary Endpoints:
Secondary Endpoints:
Not applicable.
Exploratory Endpoints:
211 studies on the registry are indexed under Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases; 51 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 300 is above the median of 137 across 77 observational studies indexed under Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases.
Browse Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases studies →National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is the lead sponsor of 2,446 studies on the registry; 179 are open to participants now.
Of its 405 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 302 (75%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Healthy volunteers will be recruited through the Clinical Research Volunteer Program. We anticipate that most patient participants will be existing CC participants referred from ongoing NIH protocols;they may also be self-referred through their own initiative or referred by outside physicians.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
Meets one of the following:
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
Co-enrollment guidelines: Participants may be co-enrolled in other studies; however, study staff should be notified of co-enrollment.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.
Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Biopsy and archival tissue
A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.
Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Platelets
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Control group
Physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis
Confirmed by genetic diagnosis or suspected by genetic variant of unconfirmed significance and a history consistent with immunodeficiency
Physician-diagnosed psoriasis
Change in relative abundance of microbial skin taxa and/or skin metabolites associated with wound healing or immune mediated disorders.
Determine whether there are abnormalities in specific tissue repair pathways, such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) are associated with immune-mediated disorders.
Time frame: Throughout study
Fold difference in metabolic pathways associated with immune pathways.
Evaluate metabolic profiles in immune activation associated with known or suspected immune-mediated disorders.
Time frame: Throughout study
Fold differences in metabolic pathways related to wound healing.
Determine whether there are abnormalities in specific tissue repair pathways, such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) are associated with immune-mediated disorders.
Time frame: Throughout study
Started Aug 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2027, 70 months after the start.
Of 50 observational studies under Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases, half reached primary completion within 72 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 30. This study's planned 70 months is close to that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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