Dermatology Clinical Trials
Advancing Research and Care for a Variety of Skin Conditions
The UC Davis Health Department of Dermatology conducts a variety of clinical trials designed to evaluate promising new treatments and advance the field of dermatology. By participating, you may gain access to innovative therapies while contributing to research that has the potential to improve care for countless individuals.
Actively Enrolling Clinical Trials
Explore the following conditions to learn more about research studies that might be right for you.
Pilot study on intralesional cyclosporine for alopecia areata
Primary Investigator: Oma Agbai, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Aged 18-65 at screening visit
- Diagnosis of alopecia areata by a board-certified dermatologist at screening visit
- Current alopecia areata episode that involves the scalp of more than 3 months' duration (prior to baseline visit)
- SALT score between 10 and 50 at baseline visit
- Agree not to use any alopecia areata treatments during the study
Exclusion Criteria:
- Currently experiencing other forms of alopecia
- Previous treatment with cyclosporine
- Other autoimmune diseases
- History or presence of any condition that could constitute an unacceptable risk when taking the study drug or interfere with the interpretation of data
- Currently using drugs that are well-substantiated to interact with cyclosporine
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2026
A study to learn about medicine called ritlecitinib in children aged between 6 to 12 years with severe alopecia areata
Primary Investigator: Emmanuel Maverakis, M.D.
Contact: Jordan Nava, jonava@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Ages 6-12
- A diagnosis of alopecia areata with at least 50% scalp hair loss due to alopecia areata (i.e., SALT score of 50 or greater) at both screening and baseline visits, without evidence of terminal hair regrowth within the previous 12 months
Exclusion Criteria:
- Other (non-alopecia areata) types of alopecia, including any known congenital cause of alopecia areata
- Pre-existing hearing loss
- Any present or history of malignancies or lymphoproliferative disorder
- Clinically significant depression per PROMIS Parent Proxy Short Form
- Any evidence of untreated or inadequately treated active or latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Enrollment: Ongoing until January 2027
USCLC National Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry
Primary Investigator: Peggy Wu, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- All ages
- Patients living with cutaneous lymphoma
Exclusion Criteria:
- People who are incarcerated
Enrollment: Ongoing
A phase 3, multi-center trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tralokinumab in combination with topical corticosteroids in children (age 2 to <12 years) and infants (age 6 months to <2 years) with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis
Primary Investigator: Smita Awasthi, M.D.
Contact: Jordan Nava, jonava@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Pediatric patient ages 6 months to less than 12 years old at screening
- An EASI score of greater than or equal to 16 at screening and baseline
- Atopic dermatitis involvement of greater than or equal to 10% body surface area at screening and baseline
- Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis as defined by the Hanifin and Rajka criteria
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subjects with severe needle phobia or a history of vasovagal reactions following injections or blood withdrawal
- Active dermatologic conditions that may confound the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis
- Established diagnosis of a primary immunodeficiency disorder
- History of anaphylaxis following any biological therapy
Enrollment: Ongoing until June 2026
Dermatitis quality of life assessment pre- and post-patch testing questionnaire
Primary Investigator: Peggy Wu, M.D.
Contact: Jasmin Johl, jesjohl@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Patients referred to UC Davis Health Department of Dermatology for evaluation of rash or dermatitis
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients who are pregnant
- Patients who are incarcerated
Enrollment: Ongoing
A systematic assessment of patch testing outcomes
Primary Investigator: Peggy Wu, M.D.
Contact: Jasmin Johl, jesjohl@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Patients referred to UC Davis Health Department of Dermatology for evaluation of rash or dermatitis
- All ages, including those younger than 18 with parental consent
Enrollment: Ongoing
Genetic aberrations driving cutaneous disease
Primary Investigator: Maija Kiuru, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Subjects with an active cutaneous, hair or nail disease confirmed by a dermatologist
- 18 years of age or older
- Younger than age 18 with informed consent provided by legal guardian. Only buccal swab for DNA isolation will be performed.
Exclusion Criteria:
- No blood draws or skin biopsies, unless indicated as standard of care for routine clinical diagnostic testing, will be performed on subjects younger than 18 years of age for the purpose of this study
Enrollment: Ongoing
Undermining apices in surgical wounds: a randomized evaluator-blinded split-wound comparative effectiveness trial
Primary Investigator: Daniel Eisen, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the neck, trunk and extremities with predicted primary closure
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant women
- Unable to understand written and spoken English
- Wounds with predicted closure length less than 3 cm
- Incarceration
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2026
Barbed versus traditional suture for repair of dermatologic surgery defects: a randomized evaluator-blinded split-wound comparative effectiveness trial
Primary Investigator: Daniel Eisen, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the neck, trunk and extremities with predicted primary closure
- Able to give informed consent themselves
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant women
- Incarceration
- Unable to understand written and spoken English
- Wounds with a predicted closure length of less than 3 cm
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2027
Effect of pre-operative consultation on patient anxiety and satisfaction following first-time Mohs micrographic surgery
Primary Investigator: Daniel Eisen, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Fluent in English
- Presenting for first-time Mohs micrographic surgery for treatment of a cutaneous malignancy
Exclusion Criteria:
- Incarcerated prisoners
- Patients unable to provide consent
- History or prior Mohs surgery
- Patients requiring multidisciplinary care (i.e., involvement of other surgical specialties such as plastic surgery or ophthalmology for reconstruction)
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2027
Genetic basis of melanocytic nevi
Primary Investigator: Maija Kiuru, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Subjects with melanocytic nevi
- 18 years of age and older
- 5 years of age and older (individuals with RASopathy only)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subjects younger than 18 years of age and no history of RASopathy
- Subjects younger than 5 years of age (individuals with RASopathy only)
- Subjects without melanocytic nevi
- Subjects with a bleeding disorder or who are taking anticoagulation medication
Enrollment: Ongoing
A phase 1/2, open-label, safety and dosing study of autologous CAR T cells (desmoglein 3 chimeric autoantibody receptor T cells [DSG3-CAART] or CD19-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells [CABA-201]) in subjects with active, pemphigus vulgaris
Primary Investigator: Emmanuel Maverakis, M.D.
Contact: Lauren Downing, ladowning@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Individuals ages 18 and older
- Confirmed diagnosis of mean platelet volume by prior or screening biopsy and prior positive anti-DSG3 antibody ELISA
- Mean platelet volume inadequately managed by at least one standard immunosuppressive therapy
- Active mean platelet volume at screening
- Anti-DSG3 antibody ELISA positive at screening; inclusion criteria for CABA-201 sub-study
- Pemphigus vulgaris inadequately managed by at least one standard immunosuppressive therapy
- Active pemphigus vulgaris at screening
- DSG3 ELISA positive at screening
Exclusion Criteria:
- Active cutaneous lesions associated with pemphigus vulgaris that indicate mucocutaneous rather than mucosal-dominant disease
- Other autoimmune disorders requiring immunosuppressive therapies
- Have paraneoplastic pemphigus or active malignancy
Enrollment: Ongoing
Biomarker expression in an adhesive patch-based assay for pigmented lesions
Primary Investigator: Maija Kiuru, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Subject must have one of the following:
- At least one pigmented lesion that is greater than or equal to 4 mm in diameter
- A pigmented lesion that is confirmed to be melanoma to serve as a control
- An area of skin without a pigmented lesion to serve as a control
- If the subject has multiple pigmented lesions, the lesions must be at least 4 mm apart
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subjects with psoriasis
- Subjects who are pregnant or breastfeeding at the time of specimen collection
- Subjects who have used topical medications or systemic steroids within 30 days of beginning the study
- Subjects who are allergic to adhesive patches or latex
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2027
A study to determine the effect of a 6-week healthy nutrition intervention on qualitative and objective markers of inflammation in patients with psoriasis
Primary Investigator: Samuel Hwang, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- History of psoriasis of at least 3% body surface area
- A BMI of 25 or greater
- Recruited patients must habitually consume a Western-type diet
Exclusion Criteria:
- Those taking anti-diabetic oral or injected medications
- Known inflammatory or other infectious diseases that can confound assessment
- Taking systemic medications for the purpose of treating psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis in the last 3 months (prior to first PET scan)
Enrollment: Ongoing until June 2026
A study to conduct ongoing investigations to elucidate the pathogenesis behind local and systemic inflammation in patients with psoriasis through blood and skin samples
Primary Investigator: Samuel Hwang, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- A diagnosis of psoriasis or atopic dermatitis as determined by a doctor OR a patient who is a health control who has not been diagnosed with psoriasis or atopic dermatitis
Exclusion Criteria:
- Female subjects weighing less than 110 pounds
- Patients with a significant history of anemia, hypotension, arrhythmia, bleeding diathesis, central nervous system, liver, kidney or thyroid disease
Enrollment: Ongoing
Clinical impact of sleep-targeting interventions in psoriasis patients
Primary Investigator: Victor Huang, M.D.
Contact: Morgan Danielle Murry, mdmurry@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Diagnosis of psoriasis as determined by a dermatologist
- Is untreated or receiving skin-directed therapy only (topicals or phototherapy)
- Has adhered to a stable psoriasis management plan for the past two months
- Has a Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) score of 5 or greater, which correlates with poor sleep
Exclusion Criteria:
- Any patient who is on a systemic therapy, such as a biologic medication or oral medication, for their psoriasis
- Anyone who does not have decision-making capacity
- Anyone who has not received a diagnosis of psoriasis from a dermatologist
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2027
A phase 3b/4 multi-center, randomized, open-label, long-term safety study of deucravacitinib in comparison to ustekinumab in participants with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis
Primary Investigator: Emmanuel Maverakis, M.D.
Contact: Jordan Nava, jonava@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 40 years old
- Diagnosis of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis
- Have at least one of the following cardiovascular risk factors:
- Current cigarette smoker
- Diagnosis of hypertension
- Diagnosis of hyperlipidemia
- Diagnosis of diabetes Type 1 or 2
- Diagnosis of obesity
- Family history of premature coronary heart disease
- History of one or more cardiovascular events, including coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), myocardial infarction (heart attack), cardiac arrest, hospitalization for unstable angina, acute coronary syndrome, stroke or transient ischemic attack
Exclusion Criteria:
- Participant has a recent history of one of the following cardiovascular events within 90 days of the first day of study participation:
- Myocardial infarction
- Stroke
- Coronary revascularization
- Venous thromboembolism
- Participant has evidence of active cancer or history of cancer (other than resected cutaneous basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, or carcinoma of cervix in situ that has been treated with no evidence of recurrence)
Enrollment: Ongoing until June 2026
Aesthetic outcome of intra-dermal versus transcutaneous purse-string closure: a randomized evaluator-blinded split-wound comparative effectiveness trial
Primary Investigator: Daniel Eisen, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Scheduled for cutaneous surgical procedure on the head, neck, trunk or extremities with predicted purse-string closure
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant women
- Incarceration
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2027
A systematic assessment of vitiligo outcomes – a patient registry study
Primary Investigator: Victor Huang, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- Patients referred to UC Davis Health Department of Dermatology for vitiligo diagnosis and treatment
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients who are pregnant
- Patients who are inmates
- Patients who are not able to read and comprehend study or consent forms
Enrollment: Ongoing
Analysis of sebaceous tumors derived from subjects with Muir-Torre syndrome or Lynch syndrome or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer
Primary Investigator: Maija Kiuru, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu
Participant Criteria:
- At least 18 years old
- Subjects with a sebaceous tumor and MSH2/MSH6/MLH1 deficiency identified with immunohistochemistry
- AND/OR
- Subjects with a sebaceous tumor and diagnosis of Muir-Torre syndrome or Lynch syndrome or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome
Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2028
Express Interest in Clinical Trials
Interested in exploring our clinical trials in more detail? Visit our dedicated hub to browse active dermatology studies, check your eligibility and express your interest in participating.
