Pull to refresh
Logo
Daily Brief
Following
Why Sign Up
UC San Diego School of Medicine

UC San Diego School of Medicine

Academic Research Institution

Appears in 1 story

Stories

Researchers identify why the same skin bacterium causes acne in some people but not others

New Capabilities

Conducting preclinical acne vaccine research

Nearly a billion people worldwide have acne, and for decades, the best medicine could offer was topical creams that irritate skin, antibiotics that breed resistance, or a powerful drug — isotretinoin — that causes birth defects. On December 5, 2023, researchers at UC San Diego published a finding that reframes the problem entirely: the bacterium living on every human face produces two versions of the same enzyme, and which version dominates determines whether skin stays clear or breaks out.

Updated 3 hours ago