The DermFocus aims to understand skin diseases, with a specific focus on stem cells, and to apply this knowledge in translational research. The Focus concentrates on (i) elucidating the mechanisms of epidermal renewal and how they malfunction in specific skin diseases. (ii) the establishment of long-term cultures of canine keratinocytes and epidermal stem cells, (iii) identifying the causative mutations of hereditary skin-related phenotypes. (iv) skin disorders associated with hypersensitivity, primarily in dogs and horses.
The DermFocus promotes cooperation between clinicians, diagnostic pathologists and basic researchers in the fields of human and animal dermatology. It provides an interdisciplinary network, with activities reaching from bench to bedside, and involving partners not only from the Vetsuisse Faculty but also from the Bern Medical School and international partners.
