SAN DIEGO — Researchers at UC San Diego say they've developed a vaccine proven to work against acne by targeting inflammation.
They’re calling it groundbreaking because there's no treatment of this type available to date.
An estimated 70 to 80% of people develop acne at some point in their life, something researchers have long tried to address.
"The whole research community, we got really interested and wanted to see why do some people get acne and some people don't get acne," said Dr. George Liu, professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC San Diego's School Of Medicine.
How the vaccine works
After more than a decade of research, Dr. Liu and his team have developed a vaccine that offers a glimmer of hope in the fight against acne.
Dr. Liu explains it started with breaking down a bacteria we all have on our skin known as ‘c acne.’
"We found only certain type of c acne causes skin disease. Others almost never do," said Dr. Liu.
Dr. Liu said that's because within that bacteria is an enzyme which has two strains.
"The ones that cause acne cause inflammation, and those that do not cause acne make enzymes that are anti-inflammatory," said Dr. Liu.
The newly developed vaccine blocks former strain, hence reducing inflammation.
When will the acne vaccine be available?
It's been successfully tested on mice but has yet to be used on humans. Dr. Liu expects the vaccine could be available to the public within the next five to 10 years.
Still, he says it won't cure acne all together. But it is a crucial step in addressing both the physical and mental toll acne can have.
"This type of vaccine is gonna help probably reduce the severity of acne," said Dr. Liu. "But, in order to totally take acne away, it’s going to take more than just targeting the bacteria. It's probably going to take targeting the bacteria, the genetic component. Together over time, we'll make a better vaccine. I don’t see it as a cosmetic product, but as something that really helps mental health and I think it's quite important that all the different bio tech companies are getting mobilized to start addressing this."
Watch related: Scientist at Scripps Research creates method to improve vaccine development (Jan. 21, 2022)