Basic research is the driver of every advancement in diagnosis and treatment in our clinics, including the development of a new class of therapies, improved efficacy, faster recovery, reduced side-effects, and minimized pain and discomfort. The Department of Dermatology of Stony Brook University has an outstanding history of productive basic research and our mission is to further expand research to make further advancements.
Scientists in our basic research laboratories have expertise in studying hair follicles, keratinocyte and melanocyte stem cells, extracellular matrix, and skin cancers. Basic research in these areas forms the foundation for developing biomarkers to guide diagnosis and treatment, accelerate wound healing and burn repair, improve the management of skin cancers, combat hair loss, and slow down the aging of our skin. While many of our research projects are funded by extramural partners, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), and Research Foundations, there are areas where we rely on private donations.
Donations enable us to develop robust programs in basic research faculty recruitment and development, training of the next generation of scientists, upgrading research equipment, establishing collaboration, disseminating research findings, and obtaining resources needed to embark on new grounds in basic research. As you may already know, many organ systems in our body share a great deal of similarities to skin in both structure and the fundamental biology. Therefore, it is likely that findings from our research may benefit related biomedical fields, such as stem cell biology, cancer biology, and research in the respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems. Your giving will benefit many generations to come and will reinforce basic dermatology and skin research in our basic research laboratories remain world-class.