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

Dermatologist discusses treatment for acne and melasma

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the Asian-American population will total 40 million people by 2050. While as a whole this group is characterized by very dark hair and dark eyes, there is much diversity in Asian skin tones – from very light, pale skin to light or dark brown skin. One common thread is the pigmentation issues that Asian Americans often face as after-effects of other dermatologic problems that can be as troublesome as the original condition itself.

6 Aug 2010

Study solves puzzle behind different types of skin cancer on different body parts

A consistent all-over tan may be impossible to achieve because some body areas are much more resistant to tanning than others, a study has found.Researchers - funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) - at the University of Edinburgh say the results explain why some holidaymakers find it so hard to achieve an even tan all over their body.

4 Aug 2010

SurModics licenses biodegradable polymer implant technology to Clinuvel

SurModics, Inc., a leading provider of drug delivery and surface modification technologies to the healthcare industry, announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited of Melbourne, Australia. Under the agreement, the Company's SurModics Pharmaceuticals unit has licensed certain of its biodegradable polymer implant technology to Clinuvel for the treatment of sun-induced skin disorders. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

8 Jul 2010

DNA damage caused by UVA radiation leads to melanoma

A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine found that UVA radiation damages the DNA in human melanocyte cells, causing mutations that can lead to melanoma. Melanocytes, which contain a substance called melanin that darkens the skin to protect it from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, are more vulnerable to UVA radiation than normal skin cells because they are unable to repair themselves as efficiently.

2 Jul 2010

Anti-inflammatory interventions may protect sensitive skin types from sunburn

As the beaches of Southern Europe prepare for this summer's influx of pale skinned British sun worshippers, new research from the University of Bradford has found that redheads are just as capable of making the melanin needed for a tan as the olive skinned locals.

25 Jun 2010

Tanning protects skin from harmful sun rays

People who remain pale and never tan can blame their distant ancestors for choosing to live in the northern reaches of the globe and those who easily achieve a deep tan can thank their ancestors for living in the subtropical latitudes, according to Penn State anthropologists.

25 Jun 2010

UVA exposure at early age does not cause melanoma

Early life exposure to ultraviolet A light does not cause melanoma in a fish model that previously made that connection, scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

5 May 2010

Melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from harmful radiation therapy effects: Research

Tiny, melanin-covered nanoparticles may protect bone marrow from the harmful effects of radiation therapy, according to scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University who successfully tested the strategy in mouse models.

27 Apr 2010

People with vitiligo may have less risk of developing malignant melanoma: Research

People with the skin pigmentation disorder vitiligo may have less risk of developing life-threatening malignant melanoma, according to new research. The study also further confirms the suspicion that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, which occur when the body's immune system reacts against its own tissues or organs.

22 Apr 2010

Skin cancer prevention measure increases hat use among fourth-graders

A sun protection intervention program that encouraged fourth-graders to wear hats outdoors as a skin cancer prevention measure significantly increased hat use at school, a study by researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine found. The program, however, had no effect on self-reported hat use at home or on measures of skin pigmentation.

26 Mar 2010

People with skin of color more prone to dermatologic problems than those with lighter skin tones

According to projections from the United States Census Bureau, people with skin of color will comprise approximately half of the U.S. population by 2050. This group, which includes African-Americans, Asians, Latinos and other ethnicities, are more prone to certain dermatologic problems than those with lighter skin tones due to their genetic make-up and in some cases cultural practices.

5 Mar 2010

Researchers study how laser-induced ultrasound could help identify the stage of melanoma

Knowing the stage of a patient's melanoma is important when choosing the best course of treatment. When the cancer has progressed to the lymph nodes, a more aggressive treatment is needed. Examining an entire lymph node for cancer takes much effort and time; a new technique might help make the process more efficient.

24 Feb 2010

Nutrition is crucial to achieve the most desirable complexion

Researchers from the universities of Bristol and St. Andrews in the UK have found that the color of a person's skin affects how healthy and therefore attractive they appear, and have found that diet may be crucial to achieving the most desirable complexion. The work will be published in the December issue of Springer's International Journal of Primatology.

17 Nov 2009

Color of skin impacts health, say researchers

16 Nov 2009

Scientists identify a novel cellular source of atrial fibrillation

While studying how the heart is formed, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine serendipitously found a novel cellular source of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of abnormal heart beat.

5 Nov 2009

Findings provide new insight on skin pigmentation

The skin's pigment cells can be formed from completely different cells than has hitherto been thought, a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The results, which are published in the journal Cell, also mean the discovery of a new kind of stem cell.

19 Oct 2009

Melanocyte-like cells in heart and pulmonary veins contribute to atrial fibrillation

The source and mechanisms underlying the abnormal heart beats that initiate atrial fibrillation (Afib), the most common type of abnormal heart beat, have not been well determined. However, a group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, has now identified a population of cells that are like pigment producing cells in the skin (melanocytes) in the atria of the heart and pulmonary veins of mice and humans and uncovered evidence in mice that these cells contribute to Afib.

13 Oct 2009

940nm wavelength laser is superior for treating facial spider veins: BUSM researchers

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have concluded that the 940nm wavelength laser is superior for treating facial spider veins (telangiectasias) as compared to the 532nm wavelength laser. The findings, which appear in the recent issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, are the first time these lasers were tested against each other for superiority.

7 Oct 2009

First batch of cancer vaccine from Cancer Vaccine Collaborative goes into trial

The first batch of NY-ESO-1 recombinant protein produced in a facility supported entirely by non-profit entities has successfully cleared regulatory review and has entered clinical testing. The clinical trials are part of the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative, a joint program of the Cancer Research Institute, Inc. (CRI) and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd. (LICR).

13 Aug 2009