Skin Cells News and Research

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Sunscreen pills from coral

Researchers have found that coral does not suffer from sunburn despite living in shallow water in tropical areas, because it is able to produce its own “natural sunscreen”. By studying the compounds which protect it from UV rays, researchers hope to develop a tablet which can protect human skin and eyes without the need for dark glasses or sun cream. Scientists from King's College London said the first sunscreen pill could be available within five years.

31 Aug 2011

Parkinson’s disease breakthrough with stem cell research

A new stem cell study has raised hopes for therapy in Parkinson's disease. Researchers said they have, for the first time, generated stem cells from one of the most rapidly-progressing forms of the disease. They said the development will boost research into the condition because it will allow scientists to model the disease in laboratories and help them shed light on why certain nerve cells die. The research was led by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with University College London (UCL).

24 Aug 2011

Melanin also protects from ionizing radiation

Sunbathers have long known that melanin in their skin cells provides protection from the damage caused by visible and ultraviolet light. More recent studies have shown that melanin, which is produced by multitudes of the planet's life forms, also gives some species protection from ionizing radiation. In certain microbes, in particular some organisms from near the former nuclear reactor facilities in Chernobyl, melanin has even been linked to increased growth in the presence of ionizing radiation.

24 Aug 2011

New stem cell lines help study genetic, biological underpinnings of bipolar disorder

New stem cell lines developed from the skin of adults living with bipolar disorder are providing researchers at the University of Michigan Health System an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the genetic and biological underpinnings of the devastating mood disorder.

24 Aug 2011

Scientists generate stem cells from one of the most rapidly progressing forms of Parkinson's

Scientists have for the first time generated stem cells from one of the most rapidly progressing forms of Parkinson's disease.

24 Aug 2011

Bullet proof skin from human cells and spider silk

Dutch artist Jalila Essaidi, along with Utah State researcher Randy Lewis have made a swatch of nearly bulletproof skin made from spider silk and human skin cells. The project called “2.6g 329m/s” takes its name from the maximum weight and velocity a Type 1 bulletproof vest can withstand from a .22 calibre Long Rifle bullet.

23 Aug 2011

Scientists artificially grow brain cells from Parkinson's patients to find treatment

The UK's population is ageing and with it comes an increased risk of developing age-related diseases such as Parkinson's. About 70% of dopamine producing brain cells will have been lost by the time a sufferer visits the doctor, with symptoms that include difficulties with movement and a resting tremor. A progressive neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson's affects about 120,000 people in the UK.

18 Aug 2011

Scientists identify potential target that could combat allergies of early childhood

A pandemic of ailments called the "allergic march" -- the gradual acquisition of overlapping allergic diseases that commonly begins in early childhood -- has frustrated both parents and physicians. For the last three decades, an explosion of eczema, food allergies, hay fever, and asthma have afflicted children in the United States, the European Union, and many other countries.

16 Aug 2011

Researchers identify oncoprotein that allows MCV virus to trigger Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) have identified the oncoprotein that allows a common and usually harmless virus to transform healthy cells into a rare but deadly skin cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

16 Aug 2011

Caffeine might help prevent skin cancer

A new Rutgers study strengthens the theory that caffeine guards against certain skin cancers at the molecular level by inhibiting a protein enzyme in the skin, known as ATR. Scientists believe that based on what they have learned studying mice, caffeine applied directly to the skin might help prevent damaging UV light from causing skin cancer.

16 Aug 2011

Caffeine in sunscreens may protect from skin cancer: Study

Studies have revealed that drinking caffeinated beverages reduces one’s chances of developing some types of cancer, including UV-associated skin cancer. Now, researchers propose a possible mechanism for this observation—the inhibition of a DNA repair pathway that sensitizes cells to death after sun exposure.

15 Aug 2011

NSAIDs like ibuprofen slow the spread of breast cancers

Published online on Aug. 7, 2011, the journal Nature Medicine reports that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including ibuprofen reduce the severity of postpartum breast cancers in animal models.

12 Aug 2011

New genetic cause of retinitis pigmentosa

Combining the expertise of several different labs, University of Iowa researchers have found a new genetic cause of the blinding eye disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and, in the process, discovered an entirely new version of the message that codes for the affected protein.

10 Aug 2011

Human brain cells created from skin cells: Potential for Alzheimer’s

This feat comes a year after researchers at Stanford University performed the same feat in mice, turning cells from the rodents' skin into neurons. The lab-created brain cells act the same as normal human brain cells, the researchers found. These cells have the same ability to send electric signals; they seem to express the same genes in the same ways; and they are able to communicate with other brain cells, as demonstrated in a lab dish and when implanted into mice.

5 Aug 2011

Scientists convert human skin cells into forebrain neurons

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have for the first time directly converted human skin cells into functional forebrain neurons, without the need for stem cells of any kind.

5 Aug 2011

Roadmap to overcome obstacles for using induced pluripotent stem cells

The possibility of developing stem cells from a patient's own skin and using them to treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer has generated tremendous excitement in the stem cell research community in recent years. Such therapies would avoid the controversial need for using stem cells derived from human embryos, and in theory, also bypass immunological problems inherent in using cells from one person to treat another.

5 Aug 2011

Drink wine to prevent sunburns: Flavonoid research

According to a new Spanish study wine could protect against harmful sunburns. The researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council find that a compound found in grapes or grape derivatives may protect skin cells from skin-damaging ultraviolet radiation.

1 Aug 2011

Grapes help protect skin cells from sun's UV radiation

Some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, according to a study by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC.

29 Jul 2011

Scientist discovers novel way to convert human skin cells into neurons

A scientist at the Gladstone Institutes has discovered a novel way to convert human skin cells into brain cells, advancing medicine and human health by offering new hope for regenerative medicine and personalized drug discovery and development.

29 Jul 2011

Mitochondrial genome undergoes random reorganisation during reprogramming

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are truly talented multi-taskers. They can reproduce almost all cell types and thus offer great hope in the fight against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. However, it would appear that their use is not entirely without risk: during the reprogramming of body cells into iPS cells, disease-causing mutations can creep into the genetic material.

28 Jul 2011