Researchers from UC San Diego have developed a patent-pending device that solves all these major limitations. It is a quick, inexpensive, non-radiative, non-invasive,  point-of-care imaging modality.  The inventors created a fast,  point-of-care imaging technique that can image deep within soft tissues. This technique can be used to monitor. wound health over long periods of time.  This ultrasound imaging technology is poised to become a medical imaging tool to measure, and visualize wound size, progression, tunneling, and skin graft integration or rejection.

Red light exposure can have phototherapeutic effects on skin cells and other biological cells and tissues affected by UV damage. However, existing methods and devices using red light in DNA phototherapy have not identified the proper duration, intensity, or delivery mechanisms for optimal DNA repair. If the radiant intensity of the red light is too low, then exposure is inadequate and the repair biomarkers are not activated. Conversely, prolonged exposure to excessive electromagnetic radiation only furthers DNA damage. Moreover, in the context of skin treatment, excessive radiant intensity can burn tissue or have carcinogenic side effects. Thus, there is a need for a device and methods of use that provide safe, effective, and targeted red light DNA phototherapy.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and has been associated with poor quality of life and frequent complications requiring hospitalization and surgical procedures. Current therapies for IBD typically target neutralization of inflammatory cytokines, blockade of receptors, or inhibition of inflammatory cell functions. Despite current approaches, it is still difficult to control disease severity and maintain quality of life. One important phenotype of IBD that may offer an opportunity for gaining increased understanding of the disease is that up to 40% of individuals with inflammatory diseases of the colon have extra intestinal manifestations. Foremost in these extra intestinal symptoms are skin or oral disorders such as erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangreneosum and aphthous stomatitis. The presence of diseases associated with IBD at sites far from the gut support several hypotheses that IBD is a systemic disorder of circulating bone marrow derived immunocytes, a consequence of dysbiosis of the microbiome or a generalized disorder of epithelial function. Furthermore, appropriate function of the epithelial barrier is necessary to regulate the interactions between microbes and the host and maintain health.

Melanin is a brown pigment that is delivered to keratinocytes in the skin after being excreted as melanosomes to form melanocytes. The primary function of melanin is to prevent UV-induced nuclear DNA damage. The biological system for induction, production, transfer and degradation of melanosomes is critical to controlling human skin health. Defects in melanin production in humans can cause diseases, such as skin cancer, vitiligo and albinism, many of which lack effective treatments due to their genetic origins. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in the production of synthetic melanin, as a substitute for natural melanin.

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition characterized by recurrent episodes of flushing, erythema, vasodilation, telangiectasia, edema, papules, pustules, hyperplasia, fibroplasia, itching, burning, pain, and skin tightness. Symptoms of rosacea are exacerbated by sun exposure, hot weather, immersion in hot water, high humidity, sweating, exercise, emotional stress, and spicy food. The skin condition usually begins between the ages of 30 to 50 and occurs more frequently in women than men. An estimated 16 million people are affected by rosacea inflammation in the United States. Oral and topical antibiotics are usually the first line of treatments prescribed for rosacea patients. However, they can cause serious side effects in some patients and do not address the underlying condition. Topical application of steroids may also help alleviate the symptoms, but it can also aggravate the condition. In addition, long term treatments can be inconvenient, lasting for as long as two years.

Inflammation is an important response for resisting infection and repairing damage. Under circumstances such as cancer or infectious diseases, stimulation of the inflammatory response is therapeutic. It is unclear why the existing adjuvant therapies tend to be more effective in the treatment of some disease, such as breast and colon cancer, than others. This invention identifies additional ways to stimulate the immune response and induce inflammation in order to accelerate repair of disease-related tissue injury.

While inflammation is a beneficial component of the body’s response to harmful stimuli, prolonged or excessive inflammation triggers a wide variety of diseases. Current anti-inflammatory drugs (steroids, NSAIDs and immune selective anti-inflammatory derivatives) have undesirable side effects and for many indications including dermatology, drugs that act by a novel MOA may be more efficacious.

 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.

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) bacteria is involved in many human polymicrobial diseases. It is the causative agent in acne vulgaris, a human polymicrobial disease. Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disease, affecting more than 85 percent of people at some time during their lives and currently affects more than fifty million people in the U.S. Current antibiotic therapy for acne lesions provides a non-specific treatment that kills the majority of skin bacteria and impacts the homeostasis of skin- and intestinal-resident flora. Acne vulgaris can result in severe inflammatory lesions that are highly associated with P. acnes infection. There are no appropriate therapeutic modalities that are long-lasting and systemically effective and that specifically suppress P. acnes-induced pathogenesis and inflammation. In addition, these bacteria have the ability to trigger inflammatory responses. Many antibiotics have been used for acne treatment, but these antibiotics in general are non-specific, short lasting, and normally are applied when acne lesions have already occurred (such as in late stages of acne). Available topical treatments for acne lesions, including drugs, are palliative and effective only while treatment is maintained. When treatment is discontinued, increased acne gain inevitably results.