Mount Sinai announced that its Icahn School of Medicine has partnered with Clinique to establish the new Mount Sinai–Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center. The new center will be dedicated to dermatologic research investigating the biological mechanisms behind healthy skin as well as skin aging, allergy, and inflammatory or eczematous conditions such as atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis. Researchers at the center will aim to bridge basic science with practical clinical applications, develop novel topical and systemic therapies for patients with allergic conditions, examine methods to slow the visible natural or premature aging processes of the skin, and enhance the management of patients with dermatologic conditions. Clinique expects to use the research conducted at the center to inform future product innovations for patients with allergic or sensitive skin. The company has made a 7-year philanthropic commitment of $5 million to recruit physicians and researchers, purchase advanced equipment, develop clinical and laboratory space, and hire support staff. Researchers involved in the new initiative also plan to assess the impact of lifestyle and psychological factors—including diets, exercise habits, and stress—on the skin and will enroll patients of all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities into studies examining these phenomena. “[W]e will continue to actively explore targeted approaches to reversing eczematous and allergic skin conditions with the goal of creating and sustaining healthy skin. In turn, we want to use this understanding to … prevent the process of age-related inflammation … in the first place,” concluded Emma Guttman, MD, PhD, the Waldman Professor and System Chair in the Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine and Director of the Center of Excellence in Eczema at Mount Sinai.
February 21, 2024