A new Centre for Applied Excellence in Skin and Allergy Research (CAESAR) is to be set up at Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care. Led by Matthew Ridd, GP and Professor of Primary Health Care, the Centre seeks to improve the diagnosis and treatment of common skin and allergy problems in primary care.
CAESAR sits within the Centre for Academic Primary Care, NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), University of Bristol. It works closely with the Bristol Trials Centre and builds on existing studies (TIGER, ATHENA) and collaborations. The centre also hosts the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) and NIHR SPCR Skin and Allergy specialist interest groups.
The majority of people with skin and allergy conditions are looked after by their GP. However, there are many uncertainties about how best to look after even common problems. For example, the main treatments for eczema are moisturisers (emollients) and flare control creams (topical corticosteroids). These have been around for decades, yet we still don’t how to use them together optimally or indeed how to support carers and patients with eczema to look after their skin.