Five rosacea studies land NRS research grants

Barrington, Ill. -- The National Rosacea Society (NRS) announced last month that it has awarded research grants to five new studies aimed at advancing scientific knowledge of rosacea and finding new treatments to combat it.

Jonathan Wilkin, M.D., chairman of the NRS's medical advisory board, announced that the Barrington-based NRS has awarded the grants to the following researchers:

Martin Steinhoff, M.D., and colleagues, of the University of Muenster in Germany, received a $25,000 grant to pursue their theory that the protein endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) may regulate vascular function and nerve-caused inflammation in the skin, and thus be involved in the pathophysiology of rosacea. Their study will attempt to define the expression and distribution of the four ECE-1 isoforms in both normal and rosacea tissue, which may lead to new treatments for rosacea.

Richard Granstein, M.D., chairman of dermatology at Cornell University, and colleagues received a $25,000 grant to further their previous research, which found that substances that activate endothelial cells through P2 cell receptors cause the release of factors that promote inflammation. Their new study will focus on which P2 receptors are affected, and whether inhibiting these substances in vitro may facilitate the discovery of new rosacea treatments.

Richard Gallo, M.D., chief of the division of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego, and Kenshi Yamasaki, M.D., of the Veterans Medical Research Foundation, received a $25,000 grant to continue previous research, which found that individuals with rosacea have an overabundance of a natural antibiotic called cathelicidins. Additional research may show that abnormal regulation of cathelicidin production leads to rosacea, which in turn could lead to new therapeutic approaches.

Yaxian Zhen, M.D., and Albert Kligman, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania's department of dermatology, will use their $25,000 grant to develop objective, quantitative assessments of rosacea using a variety of equipment. They note that these non-invasive methods would provide a means by which to measure the presence and severity of rosacea's symptoms, perhaps identify new ones, and gauge their presence and severity after treatment.

Payam Tristani-Firouzi, M.D., assistant professor, and Nancy Samolitis, M.D., visiting professor, of the University of Utah's department of dermatology, were awarded $23,600 to examine the effect of pulsed dye laser (PDL) and intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment of rosacea to determine whether, in addition to reducing the amount of blood vessels, these procedures produce structural and biologic changes in the skin.