Mind the Gap: Sex Bias in Basic Skin Research

August 2015 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”

Betty Y. Kong, Isabel Haugh, Bethanee J. Schlosser, Spiro Getsios, Amy S. Paller

keratinocytes sex bias biological differences clinical trials personalized therapy skin cells

TLDR The document concludes that there is a significant lack of reporting on the sex and age of cells in skin research, which could affect clinical trials and treatments.

The document reviewed 802 dermatological research articles from 2012 to 2013 and found a significant sex bias, with 60% of papers failing to report the sex of cells or animals used, and among those that did, 70% used male keratinocytes. The scarcity of comparative studies between sexes was highlighted. The authors emphasized the importance of sex and age disclosure in research for understanding biological differences that could influence clinical trials and personalized therapy. They recommended that journals mandate reporting of sex and age data and promote the sharing of sex- and age-related findings, as well as called for an increase in the availability of well-characterized skin cells from both sexes and various ages. This approach could prevent unexpected differences in clinical trial responses, enhance cost-effectiveness, and improve clinical outcomes.

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