A Prospective Pediatric HS Cohort and Blood Biomarkers of Severity and Treatment Response
Henry Ford Health
Overview:
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a painful skin disease that often starts during adolescence. It can cause deep lumps, scarring, and tunnels under the skin. Most pediatric studies rely on past medical records, so clinicians cannot reliably identify which children will develop severe disease or respond to a specific treatment.
Henry Ford Health cares for more than 450 children and adolescents with HS and has already collected blood samples from 39 pediatric patients for research. We will enroll at least 100 patients and record disease severity, symptoms, treatments, quality of life, and follow‑up outcomes. Blood samples will be analyzed with three methods that measure proteins, immune cell composition, and gene activity.
We will compare early and tunnel‑forming HS with healthy controls and examine whether blood findings are associated with treatment response. The resulting cohort and biobank will support larger studies and future clinical trials.
Status:
This project was funded through a 2026 Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa Challenge Grant, in partnership with HS Connect and the HS Foundation.
Special thanks to UCB for their support of the 2026 Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa Challenge Grant.
