Mary Kay Inc. & European Society for Dermatological Research Partner to Award Educational Research Grants Advancing Skin Health/Skin Disease

Mary Kay Inc., a global leader in skin care innovation, in partnership with the European Society for Dermatological Research, recently announced its inaugural Mary Kay Skin Health/Skin Disease Research Grant awardees at a special virtual event prior to the First International Societies for Investigative Dermatology conference in May. Grant recipients are researchers conducting groundbreaking, innovative studies in skin health and skin disease.

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“Mary Kay is dedicated to advancing skin and nutritional health research globally, and we know this cannot be done alone. Collaboration across industries, academic institutions, and clinicians is critical, which is why we are proud to partner with ESDR to furnish the first-ever Mary Kay-ESDR Skin Health/Skin Disease Research Grants,” said Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Innovation Officer, Product and Science at Mary Kay. “These grants bring this larger community together for new inspiration for the future, and Mary Kay is proud to be a part of this opportunity. We are excited to see how these recipients bring greater advancements to different aspects of skin health research.”

The Mary Kay Skin Health/Skin Disease Research Grants were announced at last year’s meeting in partnership with ESDR. The $20,000 grants were to be awarded to two researchers conducting incredible work in skin research to uncover new perspectives and invention strategies. In the months following the 2022 ESDR meeting, the company received applications from scientists across all of Europe.

The two grant awardees ultimately selected were:

• Dr. Michael Cangkrama, (Switzerland) Senior Scientist, Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zürich – Dr. Cangkrama is working on molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of epithelial skin cancers, the most common types of cancer in humans. His research projects will focus on investigating molecular mechanisms of squamous cancer development and the role of the tumor microenvironment using state-of-the-art approaches. He will utilize the grant to further develop his independent projects and continue to pursue positions as an independent group leader or Assistant Professor in Europe.

• Dr. Clarisse Ganier, (United Kingdom), Research Associate at the Center of Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine in King’s College London. Dr. Ganier is part of the Human Cell Atlas initiative – an international collaborative effort to map all cell types within the human body – to generate a comprehensive Skin Cell Atlas. As part of this work, they have created a multi-scale spatial atlas of healthy skin and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), incorporating single cell transcriptomics, in vivo optical coherence tomography, spatial global transcriptional profiling and in situ sequencing. Funding for this research will allow her to pursue her professional goals of starting her own laboratory focusing on skin cancer biology by combining multiomics data, both in vitro and ex vivo.

“Congratulations to each of our 2022 grant award recipients,” added Dr. Gildea. “These individuals were carefully chosen in collaboration with the European Society for Dermatological Research—and we are thrilled to support their research.”

“On behalf of the ESDR board, we would like to thank Mary Kay for its support of the ESDR and congratulate this year’s grant recipients for their tremendous contributions to their respective fields. A key objective of our Society is to promote innovative research in investigative dermatology and to support researchers' activities in translational skin research,” said Eli Sprecher, Chair, Scientific Program Committee of ESDR.

The sponsorship and grants, revealed leading up to the inaugural International Societies for Investigative Dermatology Conference in Tokyo, are just the latest efforts by Mary Kay to reinforce the company’s long-standing commitment to advancing skin health research and development. Mary Kay holds more than 1,600 patents for products, technologies and packaging designs in its global portfolio.

View the full Mary Kay-ESDR Skin Health/Skin Disease Research Grants Ceremony recording here.

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in more than 35 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey to economic independence through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook , Instagram, and LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.

About European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR)

The European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), founded in 1970, is a non-profit organization promoting basic and clinical science related to dermatology. The ESDR is the largest investigative dermatology society in Europe with a current membership of about 1100. By supporting investigative dermatology and skin research, the ESDR contributes to an in-depth understanding of skin homeostasis and toward improving the health of patients suffering from skin and venereal diseases. The ESDR facilitates the exchange of information relevant to investigative dermatology between clinicians and scientists worldwide. The ESDR also organizes educational events throughout the year to further knowledge in dermatological research. For more information, please visit: https://esdr.org/

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Contact information

Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com