Acne affects 85 percent of adolescents, more than 10 percent of adults, and impacts people of all racial and ethnic groups. This translates to over 50 million people in the US, and over 150 million in the seven major markets. It is among the top five most economically burdensome skin diseases in the US, with total costs exceeding $3 billion per year. In spite of the large number of products in the market, acne remains the most prevalent skin disease in the world, demonstrating a high level of unmet clinical need. Innovative products in the drug development pipeline are scarce. An overwhelming number (90%) in the preclinical pipeline consist of reformulated versions of retinols and/or antibiotics. Of the 36 clinical trials actively recruiting acne patients, over 40% are using antibiotics or retinoids as the intervention. With limited market growth potential due to simple formulations, lack of patent protections and decreasing use of oral isotretinoin, novel acne therapeutics represent a key development opportunity that has the potential to quickly capture a percentage of the market share. While the top 5 performing topical anti-acne preparations are forecasted to have sales exceeding $950 million by 2013, all have expired patents, no innovative targets, and limited market growth. Since 4 major factors are involved in acne pathogenesis (overgrowth of the bacterium P. acnes, excess sebum production, follicular plugging with keratinocyte debris, and inflammationi), combination therapy to target multiple pathogenic mechanisms has become standard. However, efficacy of combination topical acne therapy has been limited since, to date, they can only address up to two of the above factors, and patients often experience untoward side-effects such as irritation, dryness, and redness. Regardless, anti-acne medications have sold impressively, with the U.S. market alone forecast to generate $3.25 billion in 2013. Hence, a significant opportunity exists for treatments that are novel, well-tolerated, and that target more than two pathogenic factors.        (more...)

Researchers at University of California, Davis have discovered a novel combination of drugs that may represent a major improvement in the treatment of acute and chronic itch. (more...)

Bacteriotherapy, in which commensal bacteria are used to prevent colonization of the host by pathogens, has been shown to be a promising modality for preventing and/or treating infections. Yogurt, the best example of bacterial interference via fermentation of intestine bacteria in milk, has been used for over a thousand years as probiotics for keeping the digestive microbial ecosystem in balance. (more...)

Human skin consists of an outer layer of epithelial cells, the epidermis, and an inner layer of supporting tissue, the dermis, separated by a basement membrane. The skin serves various functions necessary for survival, one of which is as first line of defense against infection. It follows that an injury to the skin can be deleterious to survival and must be quickly closed, preferably in a manner which minimizes the formation of scar tissue. The use of skin grafting procedures helps reduce the risk of infection while minimizing scarring of the injured skin. However, with extensive injuries, the availability of skin for grafting becomes problematic due to a lack of availability of both the patient's skin or commercially available skin replacements. (more...)

To date, acne and associated morbidity represent an unmet clinical need. While the production of acne products has been prolific, the standard of treating acne with antibiotics and retinoid has not changed. Both antibiotic and retinoid-based treatments have varying efficacy and side effects between acne patients, driving continued research for the $3B acne market. Propionibacterium acnes, the bacterium implicated in causing acne, is the intended target of most antimicrobial-based acne treatments. However, those treatments do not consider the genetic diversity between P. acnes strains nor their distribution within pores of the skin, which undoubtedly differs between individual patients. Thus, employing the principles of personalized medicine to treat acne will potentially improve treatment and diminish the social and psychological impacts of the disease. (more...)

Human skin is exposed to a multitude of chemicals on a daily basis, many of which can be hazardous or induce an irritant reaction.  While there is strict government regulation in regards to screening of these chemicals, this testing has typically relied on the use of animal models.  However, in recent years the use of in vitro screening methods has become more prominent, with reconstructed human epidermis models being a preferred technique.  Unfortunately, this approach is both time-comsuming and expensive, as well as being difficult to develop as a high throughput screen. (more...)

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Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), a bacterial strain that is highly resistant to some antibiotics, is a major problem at healthcare delivery sites such as hospitals and health clinics. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005 there were an estimated 478,000 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of S. aureus infection in U.S. hospitals. Of these, approximately 278,000 hospitalizations were related to MRSA. The estimated number of people developing a serious MRSA infection (i.e., invasive) in 2005 was greater than 94,000. Approximately 19,000 persons died during a hospital stay related to these serious MRSA infections.Serious MRSA disease is still predominantly related to exposures to healthcare delivery. About 85 percent of all invasive MRSA infections were associated with healthcare, and of those, about two-thirds occurred outside of the hospital, while about one third occurred during hospitalization. (more...)

UCSF inventors have developed novel approaches that accelerate wound healing and prevent infectious complications in diabetic wounds by local (intracutaneous) blockade of GC activation (more...)

UC San Diego researchers have discovered a potent peptide in skin with activity against viral infections. It is also a potent antimicrobial protein with activity against bacteria such as Staph. aureus that are resistant to conventional antibiotics. The antiviral and antimicrobial peptides are naturally occurring in epithelial surfaces such as the skin, lung, and gut, and exhibit several immune defense functions. The natural peptide antiviral has potential applications in limiting viral proliferation and augmenting the host immune response. Animal models deficient in this natural antiviral peptide show increased susceptibility to viral skin diseases and are prone to atopic dermatitis. The antimicrobial peptide exhibits an ability to inhibit destructive enzymes that may prevent proper wound healing. The invention also includes an enhancing factor that can stimulate the activity of the peptides. (more...)

The maximum safe laser energy, or radiant exposure (IMSRE), for dermatological laser therapies depends strongly on the individual patient’s pigmentation. Existing devices, generally known as pigmentation or erythema meters use optical reflectance to determine the individual’s pigmentation. There are two disadvantages of these devices: The pigmentation determination is determined solely on an optical basis which is only an indirect and potentially inaccurate measure of possible laser induced damage. There is no systematic verification that IMSRE has been predicted. (more...)

Conventional antibiotics are often used in the treatment of skin infections and inflammation. Topical and oral antibiotics are common in the treatment of acne, which is aimed at killing the Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria linked to the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris. Erythromycin and tetracycline are frequently prescribed for reducing P. acnes, though the efficacy of antibiotics has been declining as the prevalence of this microbe has become widespread. Excessive utilization of antibiotics due to improper use and inaccurate diagnosis is contributing to microbes gaining resistance to conventional therapeutics. Due to random genetic mutations that occur from natural selection and evolution, microbes develop resistance genes that make it impervious to antibiotics, exposing many current compounds to obsolescence. The new generation of antimicrobial compounds must therefore eradicate microbes independent of its survival machinery, such as cell wall or RNA synthesis. Novel strategies for killing pathogenic cells can also yield alternative uses for treating other skin diseases. (more...)

 Skin wounds are today typically treated with surface antibiotics and many different forms of bandages enriched with antibiotics and growth factors. There are numerous wound healing agents currently being used today. (more...)

University researchers have invented an approach to develop compounds the use of which would lessen the need for surgical placement and replacement of intravitreal implants for treating chronic vitreoretinal diseases. Frequent injections of therapies can lead to retinal detachment and endophthalmitis, and are extremely inconvenient to the patient. By developing a compound that has the property of being intravitreally injectable and long-acting, University researchers have come up with a way to administer therapy to the eye that does not require surgery or frequent injections. Animal studies have confirmed that the half-life of a therapeutic may be extended to between 8 to 20 weeks, or more. (more...)

In higher organisms, DNA binding proteins known as transcription factors play a key role in facilitating or inhibiting the transcription of specific sets of genes. Since expression of these genes at certain times specifies the state of the cell, the characterization of these transcription factors is an important step in developing new methods for manipulating cell proliferation. (more...)

Actinomycetes are well known soil bacteria that were once believed to occur in the ocean only when washed in from land. Today, it is clear that unique populations of marine actinomycetes reside in ocean sediments and that these bacteria are fundamentally different from those on land. Although terrestrial actinomycetes have been the source of many of today's more than 120 drugs, marine actinomycetes have only recently been incorporated into the discovery process. These bacteria are now proving to be a particularly rich source of unique natural products, many of which display potent biological activities. (more...)

In many disciplines, quantitative measurements of color are required to evaluate nondestructively the state of an object (e.g., quality of produce). This characterization is typically performed using contact point measurement devices. A limitation of these devices is that multiple measurements are required to characterize an entire object; if multiple objects must be characterized, then this process may be time consuming. Furthermore, these devices interrogate both superficial and deeper structures in the object, and do not possess the ability to discriminate between these structures. (more...)

Melamine is an important industrial material with a number of uses including fertilizer, ink coloring, and various plastics. By itself, it is non-toxic in low doses; the World Health Organization has estimated than melamine is tolerable in amounts less than 0.2 mg/kg of body mass. At higher amounts, melamine intake can lead to the formation of fatal kidney stones. Recently, several highly-publicized news stories have caused increased interest in techniques to test for the presence of melamine in animal feed, milk, and eggs. The current method for detection requires a lengthy process of sample purification, chromatography, and detection via LC-MS. This process can be time-consuming and expensive. As a result, there is a need for a more facile and rapid technique for melamine detection.       (more...)