National Rosacea Society Celebrates 25 Years of Awarding Research Grants

The National Rosacea Society (NRS) is accepting applications for funding from its research grants program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025.

Supported exclusively by individual donations from rosacea sufferers, the NRS research grants program has awarded more than $1.7 million to support 78 studies since 2000, with the goal of increasing knowledge and understanding of the potential causes and other key aspects of rosacea that may lead to improvements in its treatment, prevention and potential cure.

“This important program has fostered dramatic advances in the understanding of the disease process, which have provided an essential foundation for developing improvements in treatment,” said Dr. Richard Gallo, chairman of dermatology at the University of California-San Diego and a member of the NRS Medical Advisory Board, which selects studies for funding. “Thanks to NRS-funded research, dermatologists now have a much better understanding of rosacea, and a growing array of innovative therapies are now available to treat and potentially fully eliminate its signs and symptoms.”

Dissecting the Conspicuous, Life-Disruptive Condition

The Society awards grants of up to $25,000, or more in special cases, for research on rosacea. Because the etiology of rosacea is unknown, high priority is given to research in such areas as the pathogenesis, progression, mechanism of action, cell biology and potential genetic factors of this conspicuous and often life-disruptive condition. Studies may also be funded in such areas as epidemiology, predisposition, quality of life and associations with environmental and lifestyle factors. Product development studies (e.g., drug or device testing), which are more appropriately funded by commercial sources, will not be considered.

“As funding sources become more scarce, the NRS research grants program offers an increasingly important resource for basic researchers in dermatology,” Dr. Gallo said. “In particular, it should encourage those early in their careers to take advantage of this opportunity to make significant contributions to the body of research into this widespread but often overlooked disease.”

Scientific Breakthroughs

Among the key scientific breakthroughs supported by the NRS research grants program was the discovery of the role of specific molecules in the development of rosacea. In a landmark study, it was found that abnormal production of cathelicidins, an antimicrobial molecule produced by the innate immune system, led to inflammatory papules and pustules in rosacea patients, as well as vascular effects such as flushing and visible blood vessels. Researchers are continuing to define the inflammatory process of rosacea through the ongoing study of molecules produced by mast cells, located at the interface between the nervous system and vascular system, possibly forming the link between rosacea triggers, flushing and inflammation.

Other studies have investigated the role of genetics in rosacea; associations between rosacea and other systemic inflammatory diseases, such as ulcerative colitis; the role of Demodex mites in disease development; and the effect of topical ivermectin on the skin microbiome. NRS-funded research has even contributed to the development of an AI-powered diagnostic tool.

NRS Medical Advisory Board Members

Members of the NRS Medical Advisory Board include chairman Dr. Richard Granstein, chairman of dermatology, Weill Cornell Medical College; Dr. Hilary Baldwin, associate professor of dermatology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Dr. Richard Gallo, chairman of dermatology, University of California-San Diego; Dr. Julie Harper, president and owner, Dermatology and Skin Care Center of Birmingham; Dr. Yolanda Helfrich, professor of dermatology at the University of Michigan; Dr. Sewon Kang, chairman of dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Dr. Mark Mannis, chairman of ophthalmology, University of California-Davis; and Dr. Martin Steinhoff, professor of dermatology at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and chairman of the department of dermatology and venereology, director of the Dermatology Institute, and director of the Translational Research Institute (TRI) at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar.

The deadline for submitting proposals to receive a research grant is July 1, 2025. Researchers interested in applying for grants may obtain forms and instructions through the research grants section of the NRS website, rosacea.org, or by contacting the National Rosacea Society at 4619 N. Ravenswood Ave., Ste. 103, Chicago, Illinois 60640; by telephone at 1-888-662-5874; or by email at [email protected].