In this podcast, Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, human immunology and skin biology expert, discusses antimicrobial peptides, skin microbiome acne, and all things microbiome.

Gallo received his PhD from Harvard and has been working in the sciences ever since. Gallo explains his path and what led him to his current focus in dermatology and immunology. Gallo was intrigued deeply by the question: how does a host protect itself? Gallo delivers a thorough analyzation of ‘resistance’ and how it can differ, discussing how plants and humans can be impacted by a microbe. But what do microbes do to benefit us, or do they? Gallo provides interesting information on the details of microbes, speaking specifically of those microbes that the skin will allow to exist. Gallo’s research is concerned with these important issues. 

Gallo explains how microbes can be trapped within our skin’s pores, and interestingly, when they do become trapped they are in fact nurtured, literally monitored and kept in check by our immune system so they won’t evolve into an infection. Gallo delivers an overview of the variations in the microbial community and he explains what various genes do at the bacterial level. 

Continuing, Gallo provides analysis on the kinds of inflammation that exist and how the microbiome is involved. The immunology and biological sciences expert discusses his thoughts on future medical approaches to combat disease, and how the skin, microbes, and cells are all critical in our overall knowledge path to understanding how to best treat disease.

In this podcast:

• Just how important is the microbiome?
  
• Does our skin react to microbes?
  
• What happens to bacteria when they reach our skin’s surface?

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