How often in life are you told that you need to have a thick skin? Well actually, the skin is in fact quite thick. It is your largest organ and your frontline of defence against disease.
Your skin is exposed to an incredible range of poisons and microbes that your immune system continually works to overcome. This is why, when the immune system does not function properly, the body becomes vulnerable to infections like ‘golden staph’, or allergies and autoimmune diseases, such as eczema and psoriasis.
Centenary Institute’s Immune Imaging research group, led by Professor Wolfgang Weninger is on the cutting edge of new medical breakthroughs. The latest discoveries are already changing the way the scientific community is looking at skin conditions.
In fact, they have recently discovered two completely new types of immune cells in skin, one that may be linked to psoriasis and another that appears to play a role in eczema and allergic skin diseases.
State-of-the-art microscopy technology is equipping Centenary’s scientists to visualise – in living skin tissue – how immune cells fight or are overcome by infection. They are able to see bacteria, parasites and immune cells at the same time, as well as all the structures in the skin, such as blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and hair folliclesin a variety of different organs including the brain, liver and skin.
The use of multi-photon microscopes in the study of living tissue is relatively new and the opportunities that this technology offers will ultimately help to generate improved immunotherapies and vaccines not only in diseases of the skin – but against all types of infectious and autoimmune diseases.
Professor Weninger’s team have, for the first time, witnessed how golden staph invades the skin and overwhelms the body’s immune defences. This unique microscopy technology allowed them to watch the bacteria target and destroy critical immune cells under the skin, thereby delaying the body’s response – inflammation - and allowing the infection to spread.
The vital research we are doing in two of Centenary’s primary focus areas – cancer and infectious disease – and they are opening new opportunities for improved therapies, vaccines and drugs that will make a difference in our community.
When you combine inflammatory and infectious skin conditions with the increasing incidence of melanoma and other skin cancers, skin diseases are now amongst the most common of human diseases in the western world, so much so that in Australia:
- Eczema, an itchy chronic condition, now affects 30% of our nation’s children and, if left untreated, can lead to physical disfigurement.
- Psoriasis, a manifestation of thick, scaly plaques all over the body, affects 1 in 40 people – mainly young adults - and it causes an incredible toll on people’s lives.
- Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph) - a highly infectious disease that invades the body via the skin - kills more Australians than tuberculosis and AIDS put together.
- Melanoma affects 12,000 of us every year and is responsible for 75% of all skin cancer deaths; and
- We have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world - 2 in 3 people will be diagnosed by the age of 70.
Skin diseases have a major impact on people’s lives because they can bring social, psychological, and physical impairment to quality of life. And they can result in depression, anxiety and isolation as well as bring stress to families and loved ones.
We still don’t understand enough about the causes underlying these debilitating diseases and for many there is no cure. With your support we can look towards making a difference within our community, for our families, and our children whose lives are becoming increasingly burdened by skin conditions
If you would like to make a difference to help find better treatments and cures for skin disease, please donate online at Centenary Institute or phone us on 1800 677 977.
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