Leopold Eckhart, Ph.D.

Dr. Leopold Eckhart is Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. His research is focused on the molecular architecture and evolution of the skin and its appendages in vertebrates. Dr. Eckhart’s studies have revealed mechanisms by which the skin of reptiles, birds and mammals forms a barrier against a dry environment to facilitate life on land. His team has defined and characterized catalogs of skin barrier genes in all major phylogenetic
groups of terrestrial vertebrates. The identification and comparative analysis of protein components of hair, feathers, claws, and scales has led to a comprehensive model for the evolutionary diversification of the skin in vertebrates. Dr. Eckhart’s research group has found a genetic program that controls skin appendages in a wide range of species ranging from clawed frogs to humans. The results of these studies have implications for basic skin biology and dermatology. Dr. Eckhart’s research has been funded through competitive grants from the Austrian Science Fund.