Geneva, Switzerland - June 11, 2019 - Today, in Geneva, Switzerland, The European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) and healthcare companies Galderma, LEO Pharma and Celgene announced they had joined forces to found The Skin Science Foundation (SSF). The brainchild of the ESDR, the SSF will accelerate next generation skincare by using cutting-edge science to better understand skin health and its transition to disease.

Commenting on the launch, Professor Michel Gilliet, President of the SSF and immediate Past President of the ESDR, said, ‘this is an historic moment. For the last 400 years, medical science has focused primarily on developing solutions to treat skin disease. Now, technology enables us to understand the factors that contribute to healthy skin. If we can understand why skin becomes unhealthy, then we can work out how to predict disease and intervene early enough to prevent it.’

The SSF will leverage the power of big data and machine learning to analyse everyday information emanating from standard blood tests, multi-omics analyses, and new wearable devices in order to apply a systems medicine, personalised approach to skincare. It will begin by undertaking a review of existing skin research data for one particular disease before moving on to others. It will then solicit applications from skin science laboratories for clinical trials focused on at-risk populations to generate prospective patient data.

‘The potential of this collaboration is significant. Multiple healthcare companies and skin science laboratories are joining forces for the first time with the same vision. This approach could lead to new discoveries that prevent disease, new diagnostic devices that help detect the early signs of disease and new services that enable patients to participate in their own health,’ Thibaud Portal, Vice President, Prescription Strategy and Innovation Group of Galderma, observed.

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Read the full press release here: http://www.esdr.org/launch-skin-science-foundation