Luis Garza, MD, PhD

Primary Academic Title

Professor of Dermatology

Background

CV

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/dermatology/our_experts/CV/garza_l_cv_%20aug_2016.pdf

Clinical Trials Summary

"Effects of Antibiotics and Acne on the Skin Microbiome"

"Feasibility Study for Fibroblast Autologous Skin Grafts"

"Timolol for the Treatment of Acne and Rosacea"

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

• #TomorrowsDiscoveries: Healing by Regeneration, Johns Hopkins Medicine (May 20, 2016)

  Scientists Grow New Hair In A Lab, But Don't Rush To Buy A Comb, NPR, October 21, 2013

  What to Do If You're Going Bald, Men’s Health, May 15, 2013

  A War on Baldness, Fought in the Follicle, The New York Times, July 28, 2012

Additional Academic Titles

Professor of Oncology, Professor of Cell Biology

Contact for Research Inquiries

1550 Orleans Street
Suite 204 Koch CRBII
Baltimore, MD 21231

Phone: (410) 955-8662
Fax: (410) 614-0635

Research Interests

and Wound Healing, Skin Regeneration, Skin Stem Cells

Lab Website

Garza Laboratory - Lab Website

• Our group is interested in investigating hypotheses on basic skin questions that are directly relevant to skin disease in humans. We hope that through rigorous hypothesis-driven research into skin biology, we will gain important insights that will directly improve patient care.

  Our model system is the skin. To answer basic questions regarding stem cell biology and regeneration, we choose the skin because of its accessibility, the depth of current knowledge, and the complexity of epithelial/mesenchymal interactions in the context of relevant vasculature, nerves and hematopoietic cells.

  The current focus of the lab is what controls and maintains skin identity. Regions of our skin are remarkably diverse in function and features. Despite constant cellular turnover, each area’s features are remarkably maintained. We study how, under normal conditions, identity is actively maintained and how it might be manipulated. We also study how, during wounding, skin identity is typically lost (i.e., scar), but in rare situations complete regeneration occurs.

  Understanding these questions will have broad significance to regeneration and stem cell biology in multiple organs. Understanding wound healing programs that re-initiate embryonic developmental patterns might eventually lead to insights on how to trigger the re-growth of a severed human limb, for example.

Research Summary

Dr. Garza runs a molecular biology laboratory that studies skin stem cells and wound healing with an emphasis on identifying the next generation of wound therapeutics and diagnostics. 

Please visit his lab at: Garza Lab Web Page – Learn about us and our work! (lgarzalab.com)

Selected Publications

• Kim D, Chen R, Sheu M, Kim N, Kim S, Islam N, Wier EM, Wang G, Li A, Park A, Son W, Evans B, Yu V, Prizmic VP, Oh E, Wang Z, Yu J, Huang W, Archer NK, Hu Z, Clemetson N, Nelson AM, Chien A, Okoye GA, Miller LS, Ghiaur G, Kang S, Jones JW, Kane MA, Garza LA. Noncoding dsRNA induces retinoic acid synthesis to stimulate hair follicle regeneration via TLR3. Nature communications. 2019;10(1):2811. Epub 2019/06/28. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10811-y. PubMed PMID: 31243280; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6594970.

• Nelson AM, Reddy SK, Ratliff TS, Hossain MZ, Katseff AS, Zhu AS, Chang E, Resnik SR, Page C, Kim D, Whittam AJ, Miller LS, Garza LA. dsRNA Released by Tissue Damage Activates TLR3 to Drive Skin Regeneration. Cell Stem Cell. 2015;17(2):139-51. Epub 2015/08/09. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2015.07.008. PubMed PMID: 26253200; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC4529957.

• Wang G, Sweren E, Andrews W, Li Y, Chen J, Xue Y, Wier E, Alphonse MP, Luo L, Miao Y, Chen R, Zeng D, Lee S, Li A, Dare E, Kim D, Archer NK, Reddy SK, Resar L, Hu Z, Grice EA, Kane MA, Garza LA. Commensal microbiome promotes hair follicle regeneration by inducing keratinocyte HIF-1α signaling and glutamine metabolism. Science advances. 2023;9(1):eabo7555. Epub 20230104. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abo7555. PubMed PMID: 36598999.

• Wang G, Sweren E, Liu H, Wier E, Alphonse MP, Chen R, Islam N, Li A, Xue Y, Chen J, Chen Y, Lee S, Wang Y, Wang S, Archer NK, Andrews W, Kane MA, Dare E, Reddy SK, Hu Z, Grice EA, Miller LS, Garza LA. Bacteria induce skin regeneration via IL-1β signaling. Cell Host & Microbe. 2021. Epub 2021/04/03. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.03.003. PubMed PMID: 33798492.

Patents

• Use of Itaconate and its Derivatives/Analogues to Induce Hair Growth, 20230025922
• Prodrugs of Itaconate and Methyl Itaconate, 20230028516
• Methods for Using Autologous Fibroblasts to Alter Skin Identity, 20150110750
• Compositions and Methods for Promoting Skin Regeneration and Hair Growth, 20170056310

Honors

• Elected to American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), 1/1/23
• Daniel Nathans Scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1/1/22
• American Skin Association Research Achievement Award in Translational Research, 1/1/22
• Interurban Clinical Club Baltimore Counselor, 1/1/22

Memberships

• American Academy of Dermatology
• Society for Investigative Dermatology