Dermatology Clinical Trials

A phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind program to evaluate efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in adult and adolescent subjects with severe alopecia areata

Primary Investigator: Emmanuel Maverakis, M.D.
Contact: Lauren Downing, ladowning@health.ucdavis.edu 
Participant Criteria:

• Individuals ages 12-64 at baseline 
• Diagnosis of severe alopecia areata with severity of alopecia tool (SALT) score of at least 50 scalp hair loss at screening and baseline
• Severe alopecia areata with no spontaneous scalp hair regrowth over the past 6 months
• Current episode of alopecia areata of less than 8 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current diagnosis of other types of alopecia that would interfere with the evaluation of alopecia areata
• Diagnosis of other types of inflammatory scalp, eyebrow, or eyelash disorders that would interfere with the evaluation of alopecia areata

Enrollment: Adult enrollment is closed. Adolescent enrollment is expected to close by the end of 2025.

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 multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and safety of repeat subcutaneous doses of FB825 in adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis

Primary Investigator: Victor Huang, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu 
Participant Criteria:

• Ages 18-65
• Diagnosis of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis
• Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score greater than or equal to 16
• Greater than 10% body surface area
• History of inadequate response to a stable (i.e., 4-week) regimen of topical corticosteroids (TCI) or topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCS) as treatment for atopic dermatitis within 6 months before the screening visit

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating
• Subject has a history of a previous anaphylactic reaction
• The subject has used any of the following classes of medication (before baseline):
  • Systemic corticosteroids within four weeks
  • Leukotriene modifiers within four weeks
  • Cyclosporine within four weeks, or other immunosuppressants (e.g., gold salts, methotrexate, azathioprine) within four weeks.
  • Interferon (IFN) within 12 weeks, or other immunomodulating drugs within four weeks
  • Allergen immunotherapy within one year
  • Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor within four weeks

Enrollment: Ongoing until March 2026

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

A Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to evaluate efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in adult and adolescent subjects with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa who have failed anti-TNF therapy 

Primary Investigator: Emmanuel Maverakis, M.D.
Contact: Lauren Downing, ladowning@health.ucdavis.edu 
Participant Criteria:

• Individuals ages 12 and older with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa
  
• Documented history of previous use of greater than or equal to 1 tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor for hidradenitis suppurativa for at least 12 weeks and/or 1 approved non-anti-TNF biologic therapy for hidradenitis suppurativa for at least 16 weeks characterized by inadequate response or for any duration characterized by intolerance as determined by the investigator
• Participant must have a total abscess and inflammatory nodule (AN) count of greater than or equal to 5 at baseline
• Hidradenitis suppurativa lesions must be present in at least two distinct anatomic areas at baseline

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of active skin disease other than hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) that could interfere with the assessment of HS
• Treatment with any investigational drug of chemical or biologic nature within a minimum of 30 days or five half-lives
• Previous treatment with any cell-depleting therapies

Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2025

Ethyl chloride spray to reduce pain from local anesthesia during Mohs micrographic surgery

Primary Investigator: Daniel Eisen, M.D.
Contact: Salsala Nasim, sanasim@health.ucdavis.edu 
Participant Criteria:

• At least 18 years old
• Scheduled for Mohs micrographic surgery
• Pre-operative tumor size of at least 1.5 cm

Exclusion Criteria:

• Treatment sites around the eyes
• Anxiolytic medication within the past four hours
• Skin disorders related to cold temperature

Enrollment: Ongoing until December 2025

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 tie-over bolster application 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 head or neck with predicted primary closure
• Willing to return for a follow-up visit

Exclusion Criteria:

• Younger than 18 years old
• Pregnant women
• Incarceration
• Unable to understand written and spoken English
• Wounds with a predicted closure length of less than 3 cm

Enrollment: Ongoing until September 2025

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