Written by Emma Leigh, Medical Writing Lead.

Blueberry Therapeutics hopes to make a real difference to the quality of life for people who suffer from skin and nail conditions by curing the symptoms they experience. To do this, it is key to understand exactly what issues affect people with these conditions, how this makes them feel, and how much this impacts their daily way of life.

Our most advanced area of research is fungal infection of the nails, also called onychomycosis, which leads to thickening, splitting, roughening, discolouration and eventually destruction of the nail. This is an extremely common ailment that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, with prevalence rates up to 23% in Europe, 20% in East Asia and 14% in North America.¹ Experts believe that these rates are set to increase even further, partly because of our ageing population, increased migration and changes in lifestyle.

Nail infections should not be considered as simply a cosmetic problem but need to be recognised as an important condition that must be treated. Firstly, for medical reasons as they can lead to more serious infections elsewhere in the body, infections in other family members, and can cause other medical complications. And secondly, as the impact on an individual can be considerable – sadly much greater than is generally recognised. Patients can suffer pain, disability, psychological and social problems, which can affect their work and leisure activities, and ultimately reduce their quality of life.² Therefore, treatment is key, but importantly, a treatment that fixes the problem without it recurring.

Various studies have assessed the […]