Insights into Skin Barrier Function from In Silico Models to In Vivo Pathology

Mammalian skin provides the critical barrier function that protects the body from desiccation and external insults whilst being the primary interface between the body and its external environment. This GRC has, for the last 30 years, focused on scientific topics broadly related to furthering our understanding of the processes which underline skin barrier function in health and disease. In addition to its biological and biophysical focus, a key differentiating aspect of this conference has, and continues to be, the inclusion of new scientific understanding and technology associated with the topical delivery of medicines into and through the skin barrier.

The overarching theme of the 2019 GRC is "insights into skin barrier functions from in silico models to in vivo pathology" and the intention is to bring together science leaders from the diverse community of academic and industrial researchers working on the epidermal barrier. This will include those developing molecular simulations of the stratum corneum, new cell and tissue models, and also those characterizing the in vivo pathological changes in skin barrier function associated with skin and systemic diseases. The major topics of the 2019 meeting will include the following: 1) new developments in skin and epidermal models; 2) in silico modeling of the skin barrier; 3) spontaneous and man-made models of the epidermal barrier; 4) changes in epidermal barrier function and health associated with systemic disease; and 5) predicting, measuring, and modeling topical drug delivery. While the themes will define the program agenda as in previous years the meeting will include a poster session to which all registrants are encouraged to submit abstracts and an evening session of short presentations selected from the posters presented at the conference.

Brining together this community of students, scientists, clinicians, and engineers to share the most recent insights and understanding of skin barrier science - from the perspective of their respective disciplines - will allow the sharing of new knowledge, mutual learning, and the opportunity to develop new collaborations, all with the goal of improving skin locally and systemically.