Skin Health and Ageing

Host-Microbe Interaction

We decipher how multi-kingdom skin communities (bacteria and fungi) interact with each other and with the host to sustain skin barrier function and health. We build polymicrobial biofilm communities on advanced skin models and use state-of-the-art metabolomics and genetic tools to study metabolic crosstalk between the skin and its microbiome. We aim to identify key microbial factors that reinforce skin resilience and barrier properties that sustain skin health.

Senescence and Ageing

Senescent cells are terminally growth arrested cells that accumulate in our tissues as we age. These cells impair tissue repair, function and regeneration and secrete factors that promote tissue degeneration and inflammation. Our goal is to understand fundamental mechanisms of senescence, how it impacts cell function leading to skin disease, and to identify actives that modulate the function of senescent cells to restore skin resilience and promote healthy longevity.

Hair and Skin Pigmentation

The programme investigates the molecular drivers of hair growth and skin pigmentation, with a specific focus on pigment and scalp disorders in Asian skin. We develop in vivo and in vitro models to induce premature ageing in different compartments of the hair and melanocyte stem cell niche, to faithfully recapitulate human hair and skin disorders. We explore intrinsic and extrinsic molecular pathways that regulate hair growth and melanogenesis. Through our work we identify novel actives that can be developed to effectively manage pigmentation and hair growth disorders in diverse populations.

Skin Health and Physiology

The programme aims to link molecular hallmarks of skin ageing to physiological and functional read outs in living participants. This is achieved by identifying and characterizing key skin ageing hallmarks in tissue samples and correlating them with physiological tests, such a cutometry in the same donors. This unique approach provides a more holistic assessment of skin health and a novel platform to test the efficacy of new interventions, treatments or lifestyle changes.

Rachel Watson

Oliver Dreesen