Secreted regulatory proteins such as chemokines, interleukins, antimicrobial peptides, growth factors and others can be used to characterize skin conditions and predict response of skin cells to various treatments. Skin regulatory proteins form a network that regulates numerous functions of the skin including remodeling of the extracellular matrix, renewal of cell populations, migration of skin cells, attraction of stem and progenitor cells from the bloodstream and immune-surveillance.
Patterns of these regulatory molecules as biomarkers have a diagnostic value for numerous skin diseases and conditions.
Development of easy-to-use, but precise, diagnostic tools to monitor biomarkers in the skin will enable dermatologists and skin care specialists to diagnose altered skin conditions, but also to optimize and predict effects of different treatments.