Vanessa Morales-Tirado

Understanding the cellular interplay in chronic and immunemediated skin diseases is critical to uncover pathogenic nodes earlier in development. This interactive workshop will explorethe immune–stromal–neuronal axis and how it shapes disease progression in conditions such as HS, urticaria, AD, and PN. Through discussion of human-centric approaches, spatial transcriptomics, and next-generation in vitro models, attendees will share insights into how to dissect crosstalk beyond canonical immune mechanisms, building translational strategies that account for heterogeneity, fibrosis, and neuroinflammation.

Key Objectives

• Mapping Cellular Interplay: Explore immune, stromal, and neuronal crosstalk as key drivers of dermatological disease heterogeneity
• Bridging In Vitro and Translational Needs: Identify strategies for incorporating multicellular complexity into human in vitro models, including skin-on-a-chip (SoC) approaches and 3D co-cultures to improve translatability in the absence of reliable small animal models
• Targeting Pathogenic Nodes Early: Discuss approaches to uncover and validate pathogenic checkpoints before patient stratification using molecular profiling and mechanistic insight
• Leveraging Human Data & Spatial Tools: Understand the growing role of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in deciphering disease-specific inflammation across diverse dermatologic indications