Melanin News and Research

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In humans, melanin is the primary determinant of skin color. It is also found in hair, the pigmented tissue underlying the iris of the eye, and the stria vascularis of the inner ear. In the brain, tissues with melanin include the medulla and zona reticularis of the adrenal gland, and pigment-bearing neurons within areas of the brainstem, such as the locus coeruleus and the substantia nigr

Study: Scientific articles on atopic dermatitis contain almost no patient images

Scientific articles on the common skin condition atopic dermatitis contain almost no images of patients, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg.

9 Apr 2024

Innovative immunotherapy targets rare melanoma subtypes

Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have built and demonstrated the potential efficacy of a new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell-based immunotherapy specifically designed to treat patients with cutaneous and rare subtypes of melanoma.

16 Feb 2024

How does melanin distribution impact UV damage?

How melanin content and distribution affect ultraviolet damage in skin.

14 Feb 2024

Representation matters to Black patients seeking prostate cancer information online, study shows

For Black men with prostate cancer, racial representation is a key factor affecting trust in websites offering information on prostate cancer, reports a study in the March issue of The Journal of Urology, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA).

9 Feb 2024

Targeted ocular spectroscopy shines new light on retinal health

Study demonstrates the effectiveness of targeted ocular fluorescence spectroscopy for analyzing the eye fundus, offering potential advancements in diagnosing and treating eye diseases.

1 Jan 2024

Synthetic melanin nanoparticles boost wound healing and tissue repair in skin

In a recent study published in npj Regenerative Medicine, researchers discuss the ability of melanin nanoparticles to support wound recovery in mice. The effects at histological and gene levels were explored and confirmed on biomimetic models and human skin explants.

5 Nov 2023

Synthetic melanin cream heals skin damage and promotes repair

Imagine a skin cream that heals damage occurring throughout the day when your skin is exposed to sunlight or environmental toxins.

2 Nov 2023

Seaweed symbionts reveal treasure trove of potential drug compounds

Marine macroalgae-associated Bacillota reveal a trove of bioactive compounds with potential pharmacological benefits, from antibacterial to anticancer properties. This comprehensive review illuminates the promising yet underexplored therapeutic applications of these marine microorganisms.

1 Nov 2023

New smartphone attachment could enable low-cost neurological screening for all

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a smartphone attachment that could enable people to screen for a variety of neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury, at low cost-;and do so accurately regardless of their skin tone.

25 Oct 2023

Non-melanoma skin cancer causing greater number of global deaths than melanoma, study finds

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is causing a greater number of global deaths than melanoma, the more serious form of skin cancer, a new study presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology (EADV) Congress 2023 has found.

10 Oct 2023

The role of orexin in the modulation of sleep and wakefulness

The current evidence of the intricate relationship between orexin, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and appetite.

24 Aug 2023

Study identifies 135 genes associated with human skin color

The skin, hair and eye color of more than eight billion humans is determined by the light-absorbing pigment known as melanin.

11 Aug 2023

How does sun exposure affect skin microbiota composition and diversity?

Researchers recruited healthy volunteers to study how ultraviolet radiation exposure impacted their skin microbiota composition, diversity, and overall skin health.

10 Aug 2023

GABA transfer between skin cells promotes melanoma initiation

The transfer of a neurotransmitter from one type of skin cell to another (melanocytes to keratinocytes) altered electrical activity and promoted melanoma initiation in preclinical models, according to results published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

9 Aug 2023

Study uncovers the science behind the body's tanning process after leaving the beach

Beachgoers are familiar with the experience of spending hours in the sun, going home, and noticing only hours later that their skin has changed color.

3 Aug 2023

Penn Medicine and CHOP receive $26 million NIH grant to develop treatments for three rare genetic diseases

A Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) team will seek to develop treatments for three rare, incurable genetic diseases with the help of a $26 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

1 Aug 2023

Pulse oximetry: A 50-year-old device gets an upgrade

A portable device used to detect blood oxygen levels revolutionized the medical field 50 years ago and is now receiving essential updates

7 Jul 2023

Researchers use AI models to advance drug delivery system for chronic eye diseases

Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have used artificial intelligence models and machine-learning algorithms to successfully predict which components of amino acids that make up therapeutic proteins are most likely to safely deliver therapeutic drugs to animal eye cells.

24 May 2023

Melanin structure discovery brings scientists one step closer to developing ultra-protective sunscreen

A new discovery about the structure of melanin has brought scientists one step closer to developing a new, potentially ultra-protective sunscreen derived from a biological substance found in nearly all organisms.

18 May 2023