Japanese scientist awarded for 'trail-blazing work' on stem cells research

09-Sep-2015 - Last updated on 09-Sep-2015 at 11:29 GMT

This year's Chanel 'CE.R.I.E.S.' Award that honors global research in the area of healthy skin and/or its reactions to environmental factors has been scooped up by Japan's Emi Nishimura M.D., Ph.D.

Professor Nishimura has been awarded for a project that could lead to new preventative measures that delays the signs of ageing.

The Chair of the stem cell biology department at Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan aims to further elucidate the mechanisms of skin ageing and their application to skin regeneration and rejuvenation.

"This project will employ sophisticated genetic and imaging techniques to monitor the fate of so-called stem cells in skin and hair follicles and to determine their response to environmental stress and ageing," explains Professor Gilchrest, president of the CE.R.I.E.S. Scientific Advisory Board.

Chanel - "we are proud to support trail-blazing work"

Established in 1996, the Chanel CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award has been supporting 'outstanding' skin research projects to enrich the industry's understanding of the skin with new findings around the globe.

"Our most recent laureates are proof of this aim and we are proud to support their trail-blazing work," says Christian Mahé, Senior Vice President, Chanel Research & Technology.

"The path leading to new scientific discoveries is not always an easy one. This [acknowledgment] encourages me to continue, striving towards new ways of further deepening our universal understanding of the skin," adds Nishimura on receiving the 2015 Award.

US research on healthy skin microbiomes also acknowledged

In the US, Julia Segre, senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute was acknowledged in 2014 for her work on the skin's microbiome and the role of surface bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the maintenance of healthy skin.

"Professor Segre's project will apply powerful DNA sequencing techniques to skin swabs obtained from healthy volunteers to characterize resident bacteria and other microbes at multiple dry, moist and sebum-rich body sites," Gilchrest explains.

By repeatedly sampling volunteers over the next two years, the scientist will also determine whether these species vary over time.