On November 19, 2013 DIG member, Dung Mac (MS2), attended the Innovations
in Dermatological Sciences Conference hosted by Rutgers University in East
Brunswick, New Jersey. There were numerous topics for discussion including
optical nanoparticles (Dr. Rox Anderson), toxicology of nanoparticle (Dr. Nancy
Monteiro-Riviere), the utilization of nanomaterials for the diagnosis and
treatment of skin disease (Dr. Adam Friedman), drug delivery with nanospheres
(Dr. Bozena Michniak-Kohn), StrataGraft tissue as an alternate to autografting
deep partial thickness burns (Dr. Cathy Rasmussen), alopecia areata (Dr. Angela
Christiano), treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa intravenously with
recombinant collagen 7 (Dr. Mark de Souza), and soy skin care products (Dr.
Miri Seiberg).
Is skin a portal for nanoparticle exposure? How can nanoparticle
be used to deliver drugs through the skin? In Dr. Monteiro-Riviere’s talk, it
was discovered that the majority of nanoparticles do not penetrate past the
epidermis layer. In Dr. Michniak-Kohn’s talk, the development of a novel
nanoparticle, Tyrosphere, could be used as a delivery system for lipophilic
drugs across the skin. Although currently, tyrosphere particles do not
penetrate past the epidermis, it was demonstrated that they continually release
drug into deeper layers of the skin (increasing the solubility of candidate
drugs by as much as 5000 fold without penetration to the vasculature).
What are the developments in optical nanoparticles? Dr. Anderson
discussed how gold-antibody nanoparticles could be used to target CD8
lymphocytes and selectively kill them with a laser pulse. This provided
the potential for novel tumor therapy. Additionally, recent development in
tattoo removal uses microencapsulated soluble pigments that could serve as an
alternative to tattoo ink. These pigments have the benefit of being readily
degraded with a laser without scarring. Dr. Anderson also spoke about the use
of silica core coated with gold particles that are used to selectively target
sebaceous glands and damage them with laser, hinting at a possible use for acne
treatment.