New research funded by the National Rosacea Society has found that certain molecular receptors and their activators may play a significant role in producing the redness, visible blood vessels and inflammation of rosacea.

A receptor is a structure in human cells that binds with particular activating substances in the body to trigger certain reactions or responses. Dysfunction of receptors often leads to disease. Accordingly, identification of the mechanisms of these processes, which may then be adjusted, often leads to important therapeutic advances.

In a study funded by a grant from the National Rosacea Society (NRS), researchers may have uncovered clues that may lead to a diagnostic marker for subtype 4 (ocular) rosacea, a chronic condition that may have severe consequences if left untreated -- including reduced vision. In publishing the final study results in the medical Journal of Proteome Research,¹ the researchers noted that ocular rosacea often may be difficult to diagnose, especially in the absence of signs of rosacea on the skin.

Medical experts speaking at a forum called "New Concepts in Rosacea" during the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology discussed the potential vascular origins of rosacea, as well as features that rosacea and adolescent acne (acne vulgaris) -- a separate disorder that sometimes also appears in adults -- may have in common.

Dr. Jonathan Wilkin, chairman of the National Rosacea Society medical advisory board, reaffirmed his belief that rosacea appears to be primarily a vascular disorder, citing the changes that are most typically seen.

The National Rosacea Society (NRS) has awarded funding for six new studies as part of its research grants program to advance scientific knowledge of potential causes and other key aspects of this chronic and often life-disruptive disorder that affects an estimated 14 million Americans.

Medical scientists from around the world heard updated reports on advances in the understanding of the potential causes and other key aspects of rosacea at the National Rosacea Society (NRS) research workshop held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology in St. Louis. The NRS conducts the annual workshop to promote interest in rosacea research and to share new information from ongoing studies.

Preliminary data from a study funded by the National Rosacea Society have found that the tears of rosacea patients contain different proteins than the tears of people without rosacea. The results point to the potential for a screening test for ocular rosacea in the future.

The study, "Tear Proteins in Patients with Rosacea," is being conducted by a team led by Dr. Mark J. Mannis, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California - Davis.

Results from previous research funded by the National Rosacea Society have led investigators Dr. Richard Granstein and colleagues at the Cornell University Medical School to focus in their current study on adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a natural substance in the body that may play a key role in the flushing, telangiectasia and bumps and pimples of rosacea.

The National Rosacea Society announced that five new studies have been awarded funding as part of its research grants program to advance scientific knowledge of this widespread but poorly understood disorder that affects an estimated 14 million Americans.

According to a pilot study published in the medical journal Acta Dermato-Venereologica by Dr. Camilo Diaz and colleagues in England, there may be a relationship between the bumps (papules) and pimples (pustules) of subtype 2 rosacea and infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria.¹

Medical scientists from around the world reported on their progress in studies funded by the National Rosacea Society (NRS) to uncover potential causes and other key aspects of the disorder during the fifth annual rosacea research workshop, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. The NRS conducts the workshop to promote interest in studying rosacea and to share new information from ongoing studies.