The present invention relates inter alia to therapeutic agents for use in the treatment of melanoma, methods of diagnosing an increased risk of metastasis in a subject suffering from melanoma, methods of treating such subjects, diagnostic assays and kits. More particularly, in certain embodiments the invention relates to identifying whether a subject suffering from melanoma has an increased risk of metastasis by determining the expression of Ambra-1 and Loricrin in a tissue sample obtained from the subject.

A method to identify target genes or proteins for regulating melanogenesis or pigmentation and to screen for compounds for manipulation of melanogenesis or pigmentation, the method of screening for candidate compounds for regulating melanogenesis or pigmentation, includes bringing test compounds into contact with cells capable of expressing mortalin and/or Hsp60 in vitro, and selecting, from among the test compounds, a compound that changes the expression level of mortalin and/or Hsp60.

A method of taking a skin sample can include placing an adhesive onto a portion of skin and lifting the adhesive from the skin. A skin sample may then be tested while still on the adhesive, for example, by inoculating the sample with a bacterium, fungus, virus, or a combination.

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating hypertrophic scars. The present inventors have found that the inhibition of expression of TXNDC5, PRRC1, S100A11, Galectin 1, Filamin A, eIF-5A, Annexin A2, and FABP5 can be a new target for improving and treating hypertrophic scars. In the present invention, TXNDC5-, PRRC1-, S100A11-, Galectin 1-, Filamin A-, eIF-5A-, Annexin A2-, and FABP5-specific siRNAs were constructed to determine the probability of treating the hypertrophic scars. As a result, the knockdown of the protein or a gene encoding the protein induces apoptosis in the hypertrophic scars and reduces collagen expression, which can be very useful in treating wounds.

The present invention relates to a method of prognosis and/or diagnosis of a pellicular condition of the scalp, based on the measurement of the quantity of the active form of transglutaminase 3. The present invention also relates to a cosmetic treatment method for the scalp, a method for identifying compounds for reducing and/or eliminating the pellicular condition. Finally, the present invention relates to a kit and the use thereof for identifying a compound for reducing and/or eliminating the pellicular condition.

The present invention relates to a method of identifying a subgroup of patients suffering from diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) which subgroup of patients benefits from a treatment with at least one sGC stimulator and/or sGC activator in a higher degree than patients not belonging to this subgroup.

Provided are methods of determining the aging of skin or skin disorders or conditions by measuring and evaluating levels of skin-associated biomarker proteins in a subject's skin sample. In aspects, the levels of a subset of biomarker proteins are altered, e.g., increased or decreased, in aging/aged versus non-aging/young skin. Provided are methods for more individualized and direct treatments and therapeutic options for aging skin and/or skin disorders and conditions by determining the levels of those skin biomarker proteins that correlate with aging skin and/or certain skin attributes of a subject and administering treatment products and regimens that result in altering the levels of the biomarker proteins, in particular, toward levels of the proteins in non-aged and healthy skin.

The disclosure provides for pathogenic biomarkers and serum extracellular vesicular biomarkers that are associated with vascular anomalies and malformation of endothelial cells, and uses thereof, including for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.

The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing a skin displaying signs of dryness, based on the measurement of the level of expression of the gene encoding LCN1. The present invention also relates to a method for the cosmetic treatment of skin. The present invention also relates to a method for identifying a compound suitable for reducing and/or slowing the progression of the signs of dryness of a skin, as well as a kit.

BLR-200 prevented and treated fibrosis in bleomycin-induced SSc fibrosis, as indicated by impairment of skin thickening, collagen deposition, and myofibroblast activation. BLR-200 treatment prevented bleomycin-induced CCN1 and CCN2 expression. Through single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis, and spatial gene analysis of tissue, specific populations of myofibroblasts could be identified that were responsible for driving the disease initiation and progression not previously identified. BLR-200 impaired the ability of collagen-expressing fibroblasts to respond to bleomycin-induced inflammatory-driven fibrosis, including the creation and expansion of critical sub populations. BLR-200 prevented overexpression of pro-inflammatory genes including Il6, Cxcl2, and NLRP3 inflammasome markers and activation of epithelial cell markers and the Wnt pathway in these populations. CCN proteins play an important role in dermal fibrosis, and other forms of fibrosis including cancer. Targeting the pro-fibrotic activity of CCN1 and CCN2 using endogenously derived CCN3-based peptides, and the creation of myofibroblasts, can prevent multiple pro-fibrotic changes and represents a novel therapeutic approach for treatment of SSc fibrosis. This invention provides for the novel treatment and diagnosis of other inflammatory and fibrosis-related diseases including cancer. And a new method for creating and screening drugs and new diagnostic kits for a variety of diseases is disclosed herein.