Skin is the body’s largest organ and plays a vital role in health. It helps regulate body temperature, retain body fluid, and defend against the outside world. It also allows the sensation of touch and pain. Skin is a complex structure made up of multiple layers. It contains fat, nerves, glands, and hair follicles. Scientists have been able to grow human skin outside the body for over 40 years. However, skin grown in cultures lacked embedded structures, like hair follicles and sweat glands, found in real skin. A team of researchers led by Dr. Karl Koehler of Boston Children’s Hospital

Two important leadership changes are on the horizon at NIAMS. Deputy Director Dr. Bob Carter is retiring from federal service at the end of this year and Dr. Susana Serrate-Sztein, the NIAMS Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives, will retire soon after.

Scientists at NIAMS and other institutions have shed light on patterns of skin characteristics seen in patients with VEXAS ( vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome, an often-deadly inflammatory condition caused by mutations in the UBA1 gene of blood cells. In addition, distinct skin symptoms were linked to specific gene variants in people with the disease. The findings were recently published in JAMA Dermatology. VEXAS syndrome was first reported by a team of NIH researchers in 2020. People with the disorder often have a wide range of inflammatory symptoms that affect multiple organs. The mutations in VEXAS syndrome happen

Researchers identify defects in the wound healing process that might explain why diabetic foot ulcers heal slower or not at all.