Many of the factors considered potential causes of rosacea are now coming into sharp focus as a result of medical studies funded by the National Rosacea Society (NRS) research grants program, and the growing body of scientific evidence is making major strides toward defining the precise development of this widespread disorder.

Important new studies, funded by the National Rosacea Society (NRS) research grants program, continue to increase understanding of how specific substances in the body can produce the signs and symptoms of rosacea, leading the way toward significant advances in the treatment of this widespread and often life-disruptive disorder.

Whether certain proteins made by the immune system may trigger the onset of rosacea is the subject of a study sponsored by a National Rosacea Society research grant and conducted by Dr. Richard Gallo, associate professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the University of California - San Diego and Dr. Masamoto Murakami, postdoctoral scientist, Veterans Medical Research Center. While acting to protect the body, the proteins also may trigger some of rosacea's symptoms, the researchers hypothesize.