Acne Vulgaris is the most common condition evaluated and managed by physicians in the United States. It is estimated that more than 17 million people have some degree of acne. Acne is a condition of a sebaceous glands and is related to skin carcinogenesis. Currently, multifunctional pathogenesis of acne is commonly managed through combination therapies. Topical therapies (keratolytic agents, benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs) and systemic agents (oral antibiotics, isotretinoin, and hormonal therapy) achieve varying degree of temporary relief. While it is estimated that Americans spend nearly 100 million dollars on over-the-counter treatments for acne, no permanent treatment is available. The size of the market offers a significant commercialization opportunity for a better acne treatment method and instrumentation needed for its implementation. The overall purpose of this project is to develop a method of permanent acne treatment by selective laser photothermolysis of sebaceous glands. The novel approach comprises targeted delivery of a topically applied exogeneous chromophore using liposome technology and its subsequent excitation with a deeply penetrating laser. The goal for the Phase I is to prepare the critical components (laser, chromophore lotion) and to test feasibility of the method in vitro (thermolysis) and in vivo (target delivery).
The ability to treat acne non-invasively and permanently is of great interest to thousands of physicians and millions of patients. We anticipate that the laser proposed as part of the treatment method will serve a very large commercial market.
| Lloyd, Jenifer R; Mirkov, Mirko (2002) Selective photothermolysis of the sebaceous glands for acne treatment. Lasers Surg Med 31:115-20 |
