$2.5m to develop better skin treatments

Two projects to develop effective topical medicines have won almost $2.5 million ($US1.75) in US Food and Drug Administration grants. Researchers at The University of Queensland and the University of South Australia will investigate properties of medicines that determine their efficacy in treating a range of ailments. The study will help the FDA to develop guidelines for comparing new topical dermatological products against reference products. The results will contribute to a second project at UQ's Diamantina Institute in partnership with drug development consultancy firm Certara to develop a modelling system to predict the efficacy of new topical medicines. Project leader Professor Michael Roberts said topical medicines could treat a wide variety of diseases. "Topical medicines in the form of a gel, ointment or cream are designed to deliver therapeutic molecules into the skin," he said. "We're designing products to treat skin diseases such as common ailments like dermatitis and psoriasis, right through to skin cancer treatment with drugs that target tumours in the skin," he said.