Dr. Dennis Gross Donates $100,000 to World-Renowned Cancer Center to Support Skin Cancer Research

NEW YORK, June 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare announces a donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), pledging a $100,000 contribution to fund melanoma fellowships with the goal to develop more effective strategies for detecting, preventing, controlling and, ultimately, curing skin cancer.

The donation supports a year-long research fellowship for Yuna Oh, a medical student at Weill Cornell Medicine, with a passion for biotechnology. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, Yuna will be focusing her research efforts on expanding the clinical utility of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), a non-invasive imaging technology that captures in vivo photos and videos of the top skin layers in real time to help physicians and scientists noninvasively visualize whether a lesion is suspicious or not before excising skin.

Studies have shown that the use of RCM for secondary evaluation of suspicious skin lesions reduces unnecessary biopsies and surgical excisions, decreasing the risks of associated morbidities including scars or infections. In the future, there are possibilities to use noninvasive imaging to help predict melanoma and other various skin cancers' behaviors based on their genetic makeup.

"Novel imaging technology like RCM within dermatology, as well as other specialties, has the potential to completely change how we diagnose, monitor and treat various diseases and directly impact a patient's life," Yuna says. "I am excited to be at the forefront of technological innovations in medicine and actively work on their clinical applications."

Traditionally, a 4-mm biopsy is needed to assess whether a suspicious spot is malignant or benign which leads to scarring. RCM is a hand-held, portable microscope that allows physicians to non-invasively visualize the underlying cellular architecture of a suspicious lesion at bedside, reducing the need for a skin biopsy. Yuna's project focuses on RCM-guided micro-biopsy of melanomas: RCM is used to visualize the cellular architecture of melanomas at the bedside and precisely target a specific area of interest for a 1-mm micro-biopsy. The 1-mm biopsy samples are sent for downstream genetic and molecular analyses to help better understand the genes that drive the growth and spread of cancer.

"As an alumnus of MSK, I am honored to have the privilege to give back to the institution and support the critical research they are doing to develop skin cancer detection technology," Dr. Dennis Gross, board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of the namesake brand, says. "I am excited by RCM's potential to give key insights on the molecular makeup of melanoma – scientific breakthroughs that are going to save lives."

"We are grateful for Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare's generous donation to advance critical innovations in skin cancer research," says Dr. Allan Halpern, Chief of Dermatology Service at MSK. "Support for fellowships such as Yuna's is key to continue researching and developing technologies that will get us closer to our ultimate goal of curing cancer and saving lives."

ABOUT DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE:
Founded in New York City in 2000, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare is a clinical skincare brand founded by former skin cancer researcher and practicing dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross along with his wife Carrie Gross. Together, they disrupted the beauty industry by asking people to peel daily with their now-iconic Alpha Beta Daily Peels. With innovative, patented formulas incorporating simple, straightforward instructions, clients became instant believers. Today the Alpha Beta Peel is the #1 at-home peel in the US and a staple in the beauty cabinets of top celebrities, aestheticians and makeup artists. Dr. Gross continues to bring innovations and expertise from the dermatology practice to retail consumers around the globe in the form of easy-to-use at home products designed to work together in customizable regimens to treat any concern. For more information, visit the brand on Instagram, Facebook or at drdennisgross.com.

Media Contact: Alyssa Keller, (646) 747-5643, [email protected]

SOURCE Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare

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