| Actinic keratosis | Early form of skin cancer ("carcinoma in situ"), not yet metastasizing |
| ALA | 5-Aminolevulinic acid |
| Angioedema | Swelling of the tissue directly beneath the skin or the mucosa |
| Antagonist | Substances, which bind to a receptor without inducing its activation and prevent receptor activation by an activating compound |
| Antihistamines | Drugs, which suppress the effects of histamine, e.g. via blockade of histamine receptors |
| Antihistamine-refractory chronic urticaria | Urticaria, which can not sufficiently be treated with antihistamines |
| Atopic dermatitis | so-called neurodermatitis |
| Basal cell carcinoma | Most frequent form of skin cancer; mostly induced by extensive exposure to UV light |
| BCC | Basal cell carcinoma |
| Clinical studies | Clinical development is subdivided into three phases. Phase I studies verify the safety and tolerability of the drug candidate in healthy volunteers. Phase II studies control the therapeutic efficacy of the drug candidate besides safety and tolerability issues in a small cohort of patients. Phase III trials survey the clinical efficacy and the clinical benefit and safety of the new candidate in comparison to accepted therapies and placebo. |
| Condyloma | Genital warts |
| CRO | Contract Research Organization, normally contracted to perform clinical trials |
| Dermatology | A branch of medical science concerned with the study of the skin and the treatment of disorders associated with it, including treatment and medical care of patients with non-infectious and infectious diseases as well as benign and malignant skin tumors |
| EMEA | European Medicine Agency; the European Agency is responsible for the assessment and registration of medical products designated for approval and marketing in the European Union |
| Emulsion | Dispersed mixture of two liquids that do not usually mix - such as oil and water - without visible decomposition |
| Generics | Drugs which have an identical qualitative and quantitative composition of active ingredients presented in the same formulation as the reference medication, and for which bio-equivalence has been proven in appropriate studies. |
| GMP | Good Manufacturing Practice, implementation regulation concerning the manufacturing and quality control of pharmaceutical products. |
| Good Clinical Practice (GCP) | Principles and guidelines of good clinical practices to ensure that the performance of clinical trials and testing of pharmaceutical products in man is based on the protection of human rights and human dignity. Regulations concerning manufacturing, uptake, design, processing and reporting of clinical studies for pharmaceutical products which are foreseen for human use. |
| Histamine | A natural compound, which functions in the human body as a tissue hormone and neurotransmitter. Histamine plays a pivotal role in allergic reactions. |
| Histamine synthesis | Production of histamine |
| Histidine decarboxylase | Enzyme, which mediates the synthesis of histamine from the amino acid histidine |
| ICH | International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, is a common project of the authorities in Europe, Japan, and the USA and experts of the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of the ICH is to simplify the development and registration of medical products due to a better harmonization of the procedures recommended in each country. |
| IND | Investigational New Drugs; early phase in drug development in the US American approval procedure |
| Indication | Reason for a diagnostic or therapeutic treatment |
| Keratinocytes | Specialized cells of the human cuticle (epidermis) producing the horn substance keratin |
| Lead substances | Compound with demonstrated biological function |
| Lesion | Injury |
| Mastocytosis | Rare disease of unknown cause, characterized by an accumulation of mast cells in the skin and the viscera |
| Migraine | Severe recurrent headache attacks, usually affecting only one side of the head, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting |
| Monoaminergic receptors | Receptors of a substance class, which is characterized by decarboxylation of an amino acid and inclusion of an amino group. Histamine, serotonin, adrenalin, noradrenalin, and dopamine belong to the group of biogenic monoamines. |
| Nanoemulsion | Oil-in-water emulsion, which droplet sizes comprising less than 100 nm in diameter |
| New formulation | New carrier substances for a specific, usually otherwise approved active ingredient (e.g. crème instead of tablet) |
| Neurodermatitis | A pathological, noncontagious modification of the skin, which occurs in chronic episodes. Strong, torturing itch accompanied by skin inflammation |
| Non-inferiority design | Conduction of a phase III clinical study with the objective to demonstrate that the new drug candidate is at least as effective as the accepted treatment |
| Off-Label Use | Prescription of a medication outside its approved indication or prescription of a drug in a deviated dose other than recommended by the authorities. |
| Oxidation | A chemical reaction, characterized by the transfer of electrons from the oxidized substance to the oxidizer. Originally, oxidation is used for a chemical reaction with oxygen |
| Pharmacy compounding | Manufacturing of a pharmaceutical product according to an individual prescription, normally produced at a pharmacy |
| Photodynamic therapy (PDT) | Procedure for the treatment of superficially occurring lesions (predominately of the skin) with light in combination with a light-sensitive drug |
| Pilot studies | Evaluation of drug efficacy in a small number of patients |
| Placebo | A medical preparation which lacks the active ingredient |
| Plasma level | Drug concentration in the blood |
| Precancerous cells | Intermediate stage in the development of a cell towards a cancer cell |
| Preclinical phase | Studies directed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and toxicology of a drug candidate, which are not performed in man and normally precede clinical studies |
| Proof-of-concept study | Preclinical or clinical study to verify a medical concept |
| Prophylaxis | Prevention or protective treatment of a disease |
| Psoriasis | A non-contagious inflammatory skin disease |
| Pulmonary hypertension | Abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs |
| Reactive oxygen species | Reactive form of oxygen; oxygen radicals can cause cell damage, but can also participate in the killing of microorganisms |
| Receptor | Protein on the cell surface or within the cell which binds specific ligands (other molecules). The binding between receptor and ligand can trigger or modulate intracellular signaling. |
| Receptor specificity | Capability of a substance to distinguish between different but similar receptor structures without inducing cross reactions |
| Riluzole | Drug for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |
| Screening | Procedure to identify possible new compounds |
| Topical formulation of riluzole | Drug formulation of riluzole for the administration onto the skin |
| Toxicity | Harmful, toxic effects of chemical substances |
| Trigeminus nerve | Main sensory nerve of the face |
| T-cells | A specific subset of white blood cells with a pivotal role in immune defense. |
| Urticaria | "Nettle rash"; a skin condition characterized by the episodic occurrence of intensely itching weals, which appear as ring-shaped, bullous, extensive and pasty swellings. |
| Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia III (VIN III) | Uncontrolled cell growth in vaginal tissue, which is due to faulty growth regulation and can progress into malignant tumors |
| α-Fluoromethylhistidine | Inhibitor of histamine synthesis |
| α-FMH | α-Fluoromethylhistidine |
