News

• 8 2026

  Scientific Reports published our collaborative work characterizing melanocyte human epidermal equivalent organoids with Provital Scott Atwood

  Melanocyte-keratinocyte interactions are vital for regulating melanogenesis and maintaining epidermal homeostasis. However, most 3D human skin equivalents lack melanocytes, limiting their relevance for pigmentation studies. To address this, we utilized a pigmented human epidermal equivalent (PmtHEE) that incorporates melanocytes into the epidermis. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we characterized PmtHEE and compared it with neonatal foreskin epidermis (FsEpi) and a fibroblast-containing human skin equivalent model (FibHSE). PmtHEE showed a higher proportion of differentiated cells and model-specific cell state transition paths that reflect possible in vivo trajectories. We further uncovered an inferred L1CAM-EZR-driven external signaling network using exSigNet in FsEpi and PmtHEE that may influence keratinocyte differentiation. Altogether, PmtHEE provides a distinct and physiologically relevant model of pigmented skin, with likely enhanced differentiation potential compared to conventional in vitro systems. Read More PDF

• 8 2026

  Cell Systems published our collaborative work characterizing cell-cell communication in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics data spearheaded by the Nie Lab Scott Atwood

  Cell-cell communication modulates cell fate decisions by relaying information across tissues and inducing intracellular responses mediated by gene regulatory networks. Although the inference of cell-cell communication from high-throughput data is gaining popularity, studying how communication pathways operate across biological scales and influence cell fate decisions remains challenging. Here, we present scRICH (robust identification of cell-cell communication heterogeneity in single cells), a computational framework that leverages single-cell and spatial transcriptomics data to unravel the heterogeneity of communication behavior within cell types, link cell-cell communication to cell fate decisions by incorporating dynamical information on RNA splicing, and connect cell-cell interactions with intracellular responses by constructing multilayer regulatory networks. We validate scRICH with new experiments on epidermal growth factor (EGF) ligand/receptor co-expression in keratinocytes, comparing these predictions against those of existing communication inference methods. Applying scRICH to multiple biological scenarios demonstrates its ability to capture relationships between distinct communication pathways and emerging trends along cell differentiation lineages and in space. Read More PDF

• 3 2026

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology published our collaborative work on characterizing Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus spearheaded by the Dai and Kraus Labs Scott Atwood

  Vulvar diseases are a neglected area of women's health, profoundly affecting patients' QOL. Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory vulvar skin disorder leading to severe itching, pain, scarring, and an increased risk of malignancy. Despite this burden, the molecular pathogenesis of vulvar lichen sclerosus is not well-understood, limiting treatment options. In this study, we analyze lesional, nonlesional, and healthy vulvar skin using technologies including spatial and single-cell transcriptomics. Our findings identify unifying molecular changes across multiple cell types in lesional vulvar lichen sclerosus skin, including keratinocyte stress response, necroptosis, and basal/stem cell depletion. Chronic T-cell activation, enhanced cytotoxicity, aberrant cell-cell communication, and elevated IFN-γ/JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling were also observed. Functional studies suggest keratinocytes' dual role as both targets of microenvironmental signaling (eg, IFN-γ) and sources of inflammatory alarmins (eg, S100A8/9). This work reveals keratinocytes as central players in vulvar lichen sclerosus pathogenesis and identifies potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for future research. Read More PDF

• 1 2026

  Arinnae Kurdian has joined the lab as a PhD candidate! Scott Atwood

  Arinnae has decided to pursue her PhD graduate work in the Atwood lab. Arinnae received her B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from California State University - Northridge where she investigated the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. She went on to perform research at UCLA where she utilized brain organoids to investigate neurological diseases and epileptogenesis. She earned her M.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at UC Irvine where she worked on human skin equivalent organoids and epidermal ridge formation. Arinnae is excited to continue her work on defining how stem cells contribute to epidermal ridges. Welcome to the lab!

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