The UB and ISDIN build a chair dedicated to research on skin health and ageing
The University of Barcelona and ISDIN, international laboratory specialized on dermatology and photoprotection, have created the UB-ISDIN LIVE YOUNG Chair, the first to study skin health and exposome, that is, the internal and external factors that influence on skin ageing. The chair is affiliated at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB and will be led by Susana Puig, lecturer at the Department of Medicine and head of the Department of Dermatology at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
The University of Barcelona and ISDIN, international laboratory specialized on dermatology and photoprotection, have created the UB-ISDIN LIVE YOUNG Chair, the first to study skin health and exposome, that is, the internal and external factors that influence on skin ageing. The chair is affiliated at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB and will be led by Susana Puig, lecturer at the Department of Medicine and head of the Department of Dermatology at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
The rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, notes that "for the UB, it is a main point for the institutions and companies like ISDIN to show their trust on scientific and knowledge teams of the University in order to develop talent", and he adds that "chairs are thought for the joint development of the scientific knowledge, in this case, focused on dermatology".
According to Susana Puig,“we live longer and we want to keep ourselves young and healthy for a longer time. By deepening on the knowledge of skin exposure and identifying the factors that influence the ageing of our skin, we can help people improve their health”.
Only 20% of skin ageing occurs due to chronological factors. The remaining 80% is caused by other external and internal factors someone is exposed to since s/he is born, and which affect our health. This is known as exposome. Among the ageing causes this concept covers are solar radiation, smoking and pollution, which cause molecular processes that damage cells and alter our skin structure. Also, the diet, stress, lack of sleep and adverse climate conditions have an effect on our health in general and on our skin health in particular.
The aim of the UB-ISDIN LIVE YOUNG Chair is to promote healthy lifestyles and help to find innovative solutions to reverse the effects of the exposome in peopleʼs health, such as the damage caused by pollution or solar radiation. “The skin is the mirror of our health: any problem we might have (stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition) will be reflected on our skin. This is why in ISDIN, we believe it is crucial to open new research lines in the field of the exposome. Therefore, science will innovate and improve the health and life of people”, says Juan Naya, CEO of ISDIN.
The signed agreement will be valid for three years and will fund a doctoral student of the UB to work on tasks related to the Chair, including a scientific analysis of all biological (genetics and exposome), social, emotional and spiritual parameters which affect health over the years and which are reflected on our skin. The aim is to promote specific habits and care to linger our health and skinʼs youth. “This agreement gives visibility to the importance of the public and private collaboration, and therefore, the collaboration between a model university and a leader laboratory such as ISDIN to create synergies, and all the knowledge we have to make an impact on society”, notes Antoni Trilla, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB.
The UB-ISDIN LIVE YOUNG Chair will have a Monitoring Committee built by the rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia; the director of the Chair, Susana Puig; two responsibles from ISDIN and two lecturers of the UB. Expert meetings Will be cross-disciplinary in order to treat the research on skin from an inclusive perspective, including all aspects of the person, not only the biological one.