The Skinny on Skin – Richard Gallo

Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, a leading expert in human immunology, skin biology, and the microbiome, delivers an interesting overview of skin issues, the microbiome, antimicrobial peptides, skin microbiome acne, and so much more.

Gallo earned his PhD from Harvard and has pursued a life in the sciences. Gallo talks about his background and how he came to be so interested in dermatology and immunology, and as he states, the big question for Gallo was, how does a host protect itself? He provides an overview of 'resistance' and how it differs, discussing how humans and plants, etc. can be affected by a microbe. Gallo comments that the skin is the first layer separating the inside… from the outside, and that's a pretty important job.

What do microbes do to benefit us, speaking of those microbes that our skin tolerates? Gallo's current research and discovery revolves around this question. Gallo states that microbes can become trapped within the skin's pores, and once they are they are nurtured, kept in check by the immune system so they don't become an infection. Gallo discusses the broad range that exists in the cells of the microbial community. Gallo provides an overview of the microbial community and he explains what different genes are doing at the bacterial level. Continuing, Gallo talks about the kinds of inflammation that exist and how improvement of the microbiome can permit the human environment to correct and flourish.

The immunology expert describes an ideal scenario of future medical approaches to combatting certain diseases. And he discusses some of the new issues and discoveries that show great promise, and how the skin, its microbes, and cells are all important to the understanding of how to treat disease.

In this podcast:

• What can we learn from the microbiome?
• How does the skin react to microbes?
• The future of disease treatment