The skin is an amazing and complex organ that comprises multiple layers and cell types that are functionally distinct. The aim of the Skinatlas is to characterize the molecular composition of the healthy human skin by creating an atlas of all the proteins expressed in healthy skin as a function of their spatial location as well as its major cell types. This atlas, comprising the identification of a global proteomic composition of human skin, is providing an important resource for the skin research community.
The Skinatlas is created by the Clinical Proteomics group led by Professor Matthias Mann. Matthias Mann is a pioneer within the field of mass spectrometry and has been advancing the technology for years. With the Skinatlas we have created the deepest proteome to date by identifying almost 11 000 proteins.
The patients are our driving force. Their symptoms become our observations and we can bring those observations and hypotheses arising in the clinic directly to the laboratory, thereby expanding the knowledge, and treat our patients. We hope that that we can contribute to a deeper understanding of skin biology and skin diseases.
On behalf of the Skinatlas team – Beatrice Dyring-Andersen, MD PhD
Beatrice Dyring-Andersen, Marianne Bengtson Løvendorf, Fabian Coscia, Alberto Santos, Lili Niu, Line Bruun Pilgaard Sørensen
This work is supported by the Leo Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, the Aage Bangs Foundation and the A.P. Møller Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Sciences.
We would like to thank the faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen for continuous support.
Illustrations by: Juliet Percival
Rachael A. Clark & lab members Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Marcel Teunissen Department of Dermatology, University of Amsterdam
Jørgen Lock Andersen, Bjørn Crewe Department of Plastic and Breast Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
Lone Skov Department of Dermato-allergology, Gentofte Hospital
Michael Bzorek, Lise Mette Rahbek Gjerdrum Department of Surgical Pathology, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde and Næstved