Chanel-CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award Winners Announced

Chanel Research and Technology has revealed the latest winners of the Chanel-CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award: Julia Segre Ph.D (USA) received the 2014 Award and Emi Nishimura M.D., Ph.D. (Japan) is nominated as the 2015 award recipient.  
 
The annual award honors the accomplishments of a scientific researcher with a proven track record in fundamental or clinical research work and to encourage his or her continued research activity. The field of research concerns the physiology or biology of healthy skin and/or its reactions to environmental factors.  
 
“Ever since we created the CHANEL-CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award in 1996, our aim has been to support ground-breaking skin research projects, aiming to enrich our understanding of the skin with new findings made available to all,” commented Christian Mahé, senior vice president, Chanel Research & Technology. “Our most recent laureates are proof of this aim and we are proud to support their trail-blazing work.”

The CHANEL-CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award of €40,000 is supported by Chanel Research and Technology. 
 
Julia Segre Ph.D. holds the position of senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, MD. Her research focuses on understanding the skin's microbiome and the role of surface bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the maintenance of healthy skin.
 
“Professor Segre's project will apply powerful DNA sequencing techniques to skin swabs obtained from healthy volunteers to characterize resident bacteria and other microbes at multiple dry, moist and sebum-rich body sites,” explained Professor Barbara Gilchrest, president of the CE.R.I.E.S. Scientific Advisory Board which selects the annual awardees. “By repeatedly sampling these volunteers for two years, she will also determine whether these species vary over time. Her work reflects the very recent appreciation that human beings exist in equilibrium with trillions of microbes on the skin and in the intestine that strongly influence body function.”
 
According to Chanel, Segre's project will pave the way for innovative cosmetic research targeting individual beauty and skin needs.
 
Emi Nishimura M.D., Ph.D. is professor and chair, department of Stem Cell Biology, Medical Research Institute at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan. Her work aims to further elucidate the mechanisms of skin aging and their application to skin regeneration and rejuvenation.
 
“Professor Nishimura's project will employ sophisticated genetic and imaging techniques to monitor the fate of so-called stem cells in skin and hair follicles and to determine their response to environmental stress and aging,” explained Gilchrest.
 
“The path leading to new scientific discoveries is not always an easy one. The award encourages me to continue, striving towards new ways of further deepening our universal understanding of the skin.”

Applied to the field of cosmetic science, Professor Nishimura's project may lead to new preventative measures to delay the classic signs of aging, noted Chanel.

Applications open in February each year on: http://research-technology.chanel.com/research-awards