Skin

For studies on insect-borne diseases, many a human has sacrificed an arm in a tank full of mosquitos. Now, a new artificial skin filled with real blood might spare humans the itchy bites, while providing a greater insight into mosquito behavior.

Although there are things we can do to reduce stress, most involve stopping what we're doing – which isn't always possible. A new study, however, suggests that the automated brushing of hairy skin is an effective form of passive stress reduction.

While bioengineered skin holds promise for people such as burn victims, the material has so far only been produced in flat sheets. Now, scientists have devised a method of growing it in 3D forms, which could be slipped onto the body like clothing.

A clinical trial is underway testing a new kind of eczema drug developed to silence certain genes that play a role in skin inflammation. The results of a preclinical study demonstrated the experimental topical treatment reduces symptoms of dermatitis in mice.

Unlike normal skin, scar tissue doesn't contain any hair follicles. New research now indicates that when such follicles are transplanted into scar tissue, that tissue changes to become much more like uninjured skin.

A Phase 3 trial testing the world's first topical gene therapy has reported extraordinary results in children suffering from a rare blistering skin disease. The gene therapy gel was seen to completely heal wounds that had been open for years.

Researchers have discovered how some viruses can alter the smell of their host in order to attract mosquitoes. A study found dengue and Zika viruses can alter a host’s skin microbiome to enhance the volume of odor molecules that draw in mosquitoes.

Mussels have long been known for the adhesive they produce, which allows them to cling to rocks. The protein responsible has now been utilized in a new skin grafting technique, which reportedly results in little to no scarring.

Scientists at Scripps Research investigating the cellular basis for itching have made an important discovery around the role of a certain protein, and one that could lead to new treatments of chronic conditions like eczema.

We've been hearing a lot about synthetic skins made for robotic hands, which would give the devices human-like qualities. Scientists in Japan have gone a step further, by covering a robotic finger in a self-healing skin made from live human cells.

When treating patients for certain conditions, it's important to monitor their blood oxygen levels. A new sub-dermal photosensitive sensor provides a new means of doing so, plus it could one day be used to measure other blood-borne substances.

Skin plays a key role in our sense of touch, but its sensitivity is hard to replicate. Now, researchers have developed a new type of electronic skin (e-skin) containing tiny embedded hairs that can precisely perceive touch and the direction it moves.