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Phototherapy, conducted through exposure to daylight or specific wavelengths of light, is an essential part of dermatology practice for treating various skin disorders. In a lecture entitled “Phototherapy in Regenerative Medicine: Vitiligo as a Research Model”, Dr. Hsin-Su Yu, President of Kaohsiung Medical University will discuss the phototherapeutic treatment of vitiligo, a skin disease that leaves depigmented patches on skin, and present repigmentation (the recovery of skin coloration) as a model for studying the regenerative effect of phototherapy. The lecture will be held at Academia Sinica on April 29, 2010. Members of the media are welcome to attend.
Vitiligo is a chronic disorder that occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function. It occurs in approximately 1 percent of the world population.
In his lecture, Dr. Yu will focus on phototherapeutic options for treating vitiligo, and discuss his finding that different types of phototherapy induce repigmentation differently. In addition, according to his group’s finding that vitiligo patients are more likely than the general population to harbor a certain stem cell factor gene variant, he will also discuss whether phototherapy for vitiligo can be individually tailored according to each patient’s genetic makeup. He will argue that offering individualized therapy that targets specific molecular mechanisms and individual genetic components will be the future of phototherapy.
Dr. Yu is a prominent figure in the field of dermatology in Taiwan. He was the chairman of the Section of Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery at the National Science Council (NSC), the president of the Taiwanese Society for Investigative Dermatology and the president of the 22nd Meeting of the Pacific Skin Research Club; he has also served as a board member of the Journal of Formosan Medical Association, the Journal of Dermatological Science and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Yu has been awarded numerous honors, including the honorary membership of Japanese Dermatological Association in 2008 and the Outstanding Scientist Awards from the NSC in 2000 and 2001.
Dr. Yu received his Doctor of Medical Science Degree from the University of Tokyo in 1980. He was a professor at National Taiwan University from 2003 to 2006, and since 1981 has been a faculty member of Kaohsiung Medical University, where he was appointed the president in 2006.
Event:Lecture by Dr. Hsin-Su Yu
Title:Phototherapy in Regenerative Medicine: Vitiligo as a Research Model
Time:10:00 – 11:30
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010
Venue: 1st Conference Room, 2F, Center of Academic Activities, Academia Sinica, No.128, Sec.2, Academia Road, Nangang District, Taipei City
Organizer: Academia Sinica
Speaker: Dr. Hsin-Su Yu, President, Kaohsiung Medical University
Moderator: Dr. Chi-Huey Wong, President, Academia Sinica
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