National Psoriasis Foundation names 2026 research grant recipients

The National Psoriasis Foundation announced its 2026 grant and fellowship awardees, funding studies on biomarker development, genetics, inflammation, and new therapies for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The awards come as the nonprofit approaches its 60th anniversary and pushes toward a long-term cure strategy.

Why it matters: - The National Psoriasis Foundation is backing research that could improve treatment, speed diagnosis, and move psoriatic disease closer to a cure. - The 2026 awards support work on precision medicine, systemic inflammation, and new therapeutic targets for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. - The funding comes as NPF prepares to mark its 60th anniversary in 2027. - NPF has now surpassed $40 million in psoriatic disease research grant and fellowship funding since 1987.

What happened: - The National Psoriasis Foundation announced its 2026 Grant and Fellowship Award recipients on Sept. 17, 2026. - The awards recognize projects aimed at advancing treatment and management of psoriatic disease. - The portfolio was selected by a psoriatic disease expert panel chaired by Daniella Schwartz, M.D., and Bahram Razani, Ph.D., M.D. - Both chair leaders are previous NPF grant recipients. - NPF is the world’s leading nonprofit funder of psoriatic disease research.

The details: - NPF said its grant program is designed to support research that can lead to NIH and industry follow-on funding. - NPF said the awards also help retain researchers in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis through dependable funding and collaboration. - The organization said its research priorities include novel therapeutic development, personalized medicine, understanding links with other inflammatory conditions, and recruiting and retaining researchers. - One Discovery Grant will study wearable activity monitors and artificial intelligence to develop early, non-invasive digital markers of treatment response. - Two Early Career Grants will explore a psoriasis-specific imaging biomarker to identify higher heart-disease risk and predict PsA progression and joint damage. - Four Discovery Grants will examine pollution, genetics for personalized care, how skin responds to inflammation, and how genetic factors affect disease risk and infection protection. - A Bridge Grant will study genetic risk factors and possible ways the body could develop tolerance to them. - An Early Career Grant will examine the impact of gum disease on psoriasis through shared inflammatory pathways. - One Discovery Grant will focus on cardiovascular risk and map fat cells to test whether they drive systemic disease. - Another Discovery Grant will study whether diet and weight loss change the gut microbiome in ways that could guide future diet-based treatment strategies. - An Early Career Grant will target a key protein to identify new treatment strategies that could improve skin disease and metabolic health. - A Translational Grant will analyze skin and blood samples before and after GLP-1 use to measure how inflammation changes at the cellular level. - One Discovery Grant will examine nerve-immune interactions to find new ways to reduce skin inflammation, pain and itch. - Another Discovery Grant will explore enhancing the skin’s cannabinoid signaling system to regulate inflammation and skin cell growth. - An Early Career Grant will study chronic itch and how skin inflammatory mediators affect protective neurons. - A Translational Grant will aim to develop a first-in-class inhibitor targeting skin cells and a new molecular pathway. - One Discovery Grant will test a topical IL-17A approach that targets specific inflammatory molecules in the skin. - A Translational Grant will explore using hydrogel technologies from other therapeutic areas to improve treatment delivery in psoriatic disease. - Two Discovery Grants will examine an enzyme elevated in psoriasis lesions and the mechanisms that initiate psoriatic inflammation. - An additional grant will study itch by better understanding nerve cells and how they may worsen inflammation and itching. - A Fellowship grant supported by Dr. Mark Lebwohl will study immune-acting fibroblasts and their role in psoriasis. - NPF said Early Career Research Grants and Fellowship Grants are a long-term investment in the next generation of scientists and physician-researchers. - The full portfolio of 2026 awardees is available here. - NPF also said experts are reviewing letter-of-interest submissions for its earlier-announced Milestones to a Cure initiative. - That initiative is aimed at identifying and overcoming remaining barriers on the road to a cure.

Between the lines: - The breadth of the awards shows NPF is spreading bets across basic science, translational research, and early clinical markers. - The mix of grants suggests NPF is trying to support near-term treatment improvements while also funding longer-horizon work on disease biology. - The emphasis on early-career researchers reflects an effort to stabilize the field during a difficult funding environment. - The focus on biomarkers and personalized medicine signals a push toward more targeted management of psoriatic disease.

What's next: - NPF will continue its Milestones to a Cure review process and eventually award support for projects aimed at removing remaining barriers to a cure. - The 2026 grantees will advance their studies with the goal of generating data for future NIH, industry, or other follow-on funding. - NPF will celebrate its 60th year in 2027 while highlighting decades of research progress toward a cure.

The bottom line: - NPF is using its latest funding round to push psoriatic disease research in multiple directions at once, from biomarkers and inflammation to delivery systems and new drug targets.