From the left: standing, José Aguilera, Mónica Serra, Elisabeth Araujo, Rocío Valenzuela, Frank Kollmar, Isabel Espejo. Sitting: Isabel Castillejo, Myriam Cohen-Welgryn, Maria A. Blasco, Leonor Prieto, Jessica Rose*. Credit: Laura M. Lombardía / CNIO.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer type, and it is increasing worldwide. La Roche-Posay, the dermatological brand of L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty, is donating 100,000 euros to fund a postdoctoral contract for a researcher who works on this cancer at the CNIO..
The CNIO and La Roche-Posay are already collaborating on a study on the efficacy of photoprotection against UV radiation damage.
The collaboration is part of the ‘CNIO Friends’ philanthropy program, which uses donations from individuals, associations and companies to attract research talent.
The most frequent cancer type is skin cancer and its incidence is increasing worldwide. The study of its causes and development is essential to improve treatments. This is why La Roche-Posay, the dermatological laboratory of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, is collaborating since 2019 with the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) to support research related to skin cancer.
One example is the in vitro study on cell cultures and reconstructed skin, led by the CNIO, which has verified the efficacy of broad-spectrum photoprotection in shielding against telomere shortening and DNA damage in the skin caused by ultraviolet radiation.
Postdoctoral research contracts
Since 2019, La Roche-Posay has been participating in the ‘CNIO Friends’ philanthropy program. This program collects donations from individuals, associations and companies and allocates them to attract research talent with two-year postdoctoral contracts.
Its contribution currently covers most of the researcher Isabel Espejo’s contract, who has been studying the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on the skin in the Telomeres and Telomerase Group – Humanism and Science Foundation at the CNIO since 2023.
This year La Roche-Posay has decided to fund a new CNIO Friends contract for research on skin cancer.
The call is open until December 27 and the winning candidate will join the CNIO in 2025. It will be funded with 100,000 euros, an amount raised at the Fight with Care gala jointly organized by La Roche-Posay and TELVA magazine.
Sustained support
The collaboration between L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty and CNIO has been reaffirmed with the recent visit to the center of executives and managers of the brand, led by Myriam Cohen-Welgryn, global president of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty.
For Maria A. Blasco, CNIO Scientific Director, “thanks to the sustained support of La Roche-Posay and L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, and that of the other donors to the ‘CNIO Friends’ program, we continue to attract talent that enriches the research excellence of our center”.
Jessica Rose, Director of the CNIO’s Development and Philanthropy Office, believes that this “is a good example of a global company investing beyond its own self-interest to make a real difference within the community. This research will benefit cancer patients for generations to come”. She also stresses “the importance of companies investing in causes they care about”.
Isabel Castillejo, Medical Area Director of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Spain and Portugal, highlights the joint mission with the CNIO, “after years of close collaboration, we are united with a common goal: ‘more research, less cancer’, since research is the engine of innovation and the fundamental key to advancing treatments and fighting the disease”.
Leonor Prieto, scientific director of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Spain, considers “investment in research to be a priority, to better understand the mechanisms of cancer development and how to prevent or treat it; scientific studies, in collaboration with the CNIO, allow us to advance in this field, helping to improve people’s health and their quality of life”.