Almirall, S.A. entered into a collaboration agreement with the University of Michigan to accelerate the understanding of the factors that trigger hidradenitis suppurativa. Through this partnership, Almirall's expertise in skin diseases will be combined with the knowledge of the Dermatology Department at the University of Michigan, led by Dr. Johann E. Gudjonsson, to investigate relevant aspects of this disease such as chronic disease dissection and fibrosis.

Despite substantial advances in the understanding of the disease in recent years, its pathogenesis is not fully understood and it is associated with relevant comorbidities that significantly decrease the quality of life of patient. Moreover, the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa is challenging and often requires surgery. 

“This partnership aims for a deeper understanding of hidradenitis suppurativa, a complex disease with large unmet medical needs. An in-depth knowledge of disease drivers will enable novel therapeutic approaches to provide treatment options for patients suffering from this severe condition,” states Dr. Thomas Huber, Research Director at Almirall.

“This collaboration will provide resources that we hope will greatly increase our understanding of the critical disease mechanisms that drive the pathogenesis of hidradenitis using state-of-the-art technologies and analytics,” says Johann E. Gudjonsson, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology at University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine. “We envision that this will greatly accelerate the path from discovery to novel treatments, which will help us better treat this disease.”

SHINE, Almirall’s initiative to drive sustainable innovation in dermatology 

The partnership with the University of Michigan is part of SHINE, an initiative launched by Almirall that aims to boost innovation in dermatology by promoting collaborations with centres of excellence. This project will also allow for a deeper understanding of dermatological diseases, access to new technologies and the discovery of innovative therapeutic approaches. 

According to Almirall, this initiative is a further demonstration of the company's commitment to science excellence and collaboration with the scientific community to provide potential new solutions in key therapeutic areas. The project will create substantial value for Almirall by enriching the R&D portfolio with innovative projects and indication expansion, increasing the quality and speed of R&D execution.