Post by Ryan Amer Syed

Absolutely delighted to share that I have been awarded the British Society of Investigative Dermatology (#BSID2026) Undergraduate Research Experience Award 2026. As part of this award, I will be spending time this summer with the fantastic team at the Di Meglio Lab within the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, under the supervision of Paola Di Meglio. My project will explore the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in fibroblasts within psoriatic tissue, and present my findings at #BSID2027. This is an especially exciting opportunity given the growing clinical relevance of AHR modulation, with agents such as Tapinarof already being used as topical therapies for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis in some settings. It represents a valuable step towards bridging mechanistic research with therapeutic innovation, making it a perfect educational experience for an aspiring clinical academic! I am incredibly grateful to Dr Di Meglio for her support and to the British Society of Investigative Dermatology for this opportunity. Many thanks also to the British Association of Dermatologists for supporting this award.