Identifying Genetic Variants and Associations with Biomarkers in Psoriasis: A GWAS using a US Database
Principal Investigator: Nicole Johnson, B.S.
Institution: The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
Grant Mechanism: Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship
Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Start Date: July 1, 2025
Project End Date: June 30, 2026
Status: Active
Keywords: Population Research, Translational Research, Genetics, Gene Expression, Computational Biology, Biomarkers, Disease Etiology, Discovery Science, Genetics
Project Summary:
Psoriasis is a complex disease shaped by genetic and environmental factors. While genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have advanced our understanding of its genetic variants, a key limitation is that identifying significant variants does not reveal their impact on biomarkers that drive disease progression.
To bridge this gap, we will first conduct a GWAS on psoriasis to identify significant variants within the diverse, nationally representative All of Us database; then, we will evaluate how these variants influence key inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers critical to disease progression. This study aims to strengthen associations with known genetic variants and uncover novel variants by validating their impact on biomarker levels.
How will your project help improve the lives of the 125 million affected by psoriatic disease?
This study directly aligns with the NPF’s mission by advancing our understanding of psoriasis through a unique focus on how genetic variants influence biomarkers that drive disease progression. Using the diverse All of Us database, we will identify novel genetic variants and examine their impact on key biomarkers, such as inflammatory markers and lipid profiles. These insights will help guide the development of more targeted, effective treatments and improve outcomes for millions of patients with psoriasis.
Why is psoriatic disease research important to you, personally? What role will this award play in your research efforts or career development?
Working under the mentorship of Dr. April Armstrong and caring for patients at both the university and county settings in Los Angeles, I have witnessed the profound burden psoriatic disease places on individuals, physically, socially, and emotionally. I have seen how deeply this condition disrupts quality of life and how transformative effective treatment can be. These experiences have reinforced my commitment to becoming a physician-scientist dedicated to improving care for patients, particularly those who remain unresponsive to current therapies or who come from underserved communities.
My passion for psoriatic disease research is also rooted in a longstanding interest in genetics. At Wake Forest University, I conducted three years of gene therapy research at the Center for Molecular Signaling, which gave me a strong foundation in genetic and molecular analysis. Now, as a medical student, I am applying this expertise to a genome-wide association study using the All of Us database to identify genetic factors underlying psoriasis. This work has inspired me to pursue research aimed at uncovering novel genetic drivers of disease in diverse populations, with the ultimate goal of developing more precise, effective, and personalized therapies.
The NPF Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship will be pivotal in my career development. It will provide the protected time, mentorship, and resources needed to pursue this work full-time and build advanced expertise in psoriasis genetics and biomarker analysis. More importantly, it will serve as the foundation for my career as a dermatologist and physician-scientist committed to advancing precision medicine to improve the quality of life of individuals living with psoriatic disease.
Researcher Profile:
Nicole Johnsen is a third-year medical student at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and a 2025–2026 recipient of the National Psoriasis Foundation Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship. Under the mentorship of Dr. April Armstrong, the Chief of the Division of Dermatology at UCLA, she is conducting her fellowship research using the All of Us Research database to identify novel genetic variants and their associations with biomarkers in psoriasis. Her project aims to uncover genetic predictors of therapeutic response in psoriasis and contribute to advancing precision medicine.
Nicole graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a minor in Entrepreneurship & Social Enterprise. During her undergraduate training, she spent three years conducting gene therapy research at the Wake Forest Center for Molecular Signaling and was awarded the Center for Molecular Signaling Fellowship in 2018 where she developed 68 novel adenoviral vectors designed to improve gene delivery efficiency.
At the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Nicole has been deeply involved in dermatology research, contributing to studies on psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. She has also served as a clinical trial coordinator, supporting the evaluation of novel therapeutics for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and has gained extensive clinical experience caring for patients with severe inflammatory skin diseases at UCLA Health and Olive View County Hospital.
Nicole aspires to pursue a career as a dermatologist and physician-scientist, with the goal of advancing translational and precision medicine to improve outcomes for patients with psoriasis.