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Francesca Capon
PhD

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Chair in Genetic Medicine

My lab is mainly interested in the genetic and immune basis of diseases that present with severe skin inflammation. Some of these conditions (e.g. eczema) are common among children and have a very significant impact on their quality of life. Others are rare but can affect multiple organs (autoinflammatory syndromes) or become potentially life-threatening (generalized pustular psoriasis). We also study a rare form of heart inflammation known as recurrent pericarditis.

We use a variety of genetic and computational approaches to identify disease drivers and determine whether they can be blocked with existing drugs. Where some treatments are available, we seek to characterize the causes of incomplete efficacy and adverse events. Moving forward, we plan to investigate how skin color diversity influences disease mechanisms and response to treatment, to ensure that our discoveries benefit affected individuals, regardless of their ethnicity.

Academic Affiliations

  • Professor, , Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Research Theme: Childhood Diseases
  • Research Group(s): Immunity in Health and Disease; Rare Diseases

Contact Information

Location

950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 4H4

fcapon@cmmt.ubc.ca
Grants

Principal Investigator. Developing ELVIS, a tool for ELucidating Variant Impact on Skin. Funding Source: British Skin Foundation PhD studentship

Co-Investigator. Dissecting shared mechanisms of drug action and response within the BEACON eczema multi-arm clinical trial: a single-cell approach. Funding Source: National Institute of Health and care Research (NIHR)

Principal Investigator. The role of IL-36 and Th2 cytokines in the pathogenesis of palmar-plantar pustulosis. Funding Source: Boehringer-Ingelheim

Principal Investigator. A single-cell dissection of the mechanisms underlying the ocular adverse effects of dupilumab in atopic dermatitis. Funding Source: Leo Foundation

Principal Investigator. The pathogenic role of interleukin-36 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Funding Source: Versus Arthritis

Principal Investigator. Demonstrating the benefits of smoking cessation in psoriasis, a molecular approach. Funding Source: Psoriasis Association

Principal Investigator. The autoinflammatory basis of idiopathic recurrent pericarditis. Funding Source: British Heart Foundation

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