title: Mind the Gap: Sex Bias in Basic Skin Research.
abstract: Given the recent National Institutes of Health proposal for balanced use of male and female cells and animals in preclinical studies, we explored whether sex bias exists in skin research. We surveyed 802 dermatological research articles from 2012 through 2013. No information about the sex of studied cells or animals was provided in 60% of papers. Among keratinocytes of known sex, 70% were male. Few studies compared male versus female cells or animals. Disclosure of sex and comparative studies contribute to our understanding of the biologic basis of sex differences. Addressing sex-speciﬁc differences in preclinical research informs subsequent clinical trial design and promotes individualized therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Betty Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Isabel M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Haugh
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Bethanee J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Spiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Getsios
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Electronic address: apaller@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Amy S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Paller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.) / Q000592:standards; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D063507:Sexism; D012756:Sheep; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology*; D013552:Swine; D014481:United States; D015027:Zebrafish