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

Researchers develop simple, quick technique for gene editing in rice blast fungus

CRISPR/Cas9 is now a household name associated with genetic engineering studies.

24 May 2019

A member of light-sensitive protein family plays role in adjusting skin color

A team of Brown University researchers found that opsin 3 -- a protein closely related to rhodopsin, the protein that enables low-light vision -- has a role in adjusting the amount of pigment produced in human skin, a determinant of skin color.

18 May 2019

Scientists successfully create melanocyte precursor cells using stem cell technology

Our hair, skin and eyes are colored by a pigment called melanin, which is produced by pigment cells called melanocytes. Scientists have used stem cell technology to successfully create melanocyte precursor cells.

10 May 2019

Skin-related stem cells could be used to regenerate vital part of the nervous system

Neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis affect millions of people worldwide and occur when parts of the nervous system lose function over time.

7 May 2019

Newly developed melanin nanoparticles could slow tumor growth

The dark skin pigment melanin protects us from the sun's damaging rays by absorbing light energy and converting it to heat.

5 Apr 2019

Scientific breakthrough could lead to safer bioelectronics

Not only does melanin color our skin, hair, and protect us from sun damage, it could also be used to build electronic, bionic implants.

27 Mar 2019

BU researchers identify biomarker and possible new therapy for melanoma

Researchers have identified a biomarker and a possible new therapy for melanoma.

26 Mar 2019

Drug increases melanin production in some people with albinism

A small pilot clinical study at the National Eye Institute suggests that the drug nitisinone increases melanin production in some people with oculocutaneous albinism type 1B, a rare genetic disease that causes pale skin and hair and poor vision.

21 Feb 2019

New nuclear medicine method could improve detection of primary and metastatic melanoma

A new nuclear medicine method for detecting malignant melanoma, one of the most aggressive skin cancers, has been successfully tested for the first time in humans and could improve detection of both primary and metastatic melanoma.

18 Jan 2019

App that could detect level of anemia by looking at fingernails

Researchers from the Emory University have developed a new phone app that needs just a colour photograph of the nail beds of an individual to detect anemia in them. The results of the report titled, “Smartphone app for non-invasive detection of anemia using only patient-sourced photos,” were published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Communications.

5 Dec 2018

Samara scholars assessed a new way of skin cancer early diagnostics

A team of scholars of Samara National Research University and Samara State Medical University as well as clinic specialists of Samara Regional Oncology Centre tested a new way of skin cancer early diagnostics with the help of original complex of three devices.

25 Oct 2018

Skin cells show minimal damage, maximum pigmentation when exposed to sunlight every 48 hours

Skin cells show the least amount of DNA damage and produce the most amount of melanin when exposed to sunlight in 48 hour windows, according to new study.

25 Oct 2018

Researchers compare existing approaches for automating diagnostic procedures of skin lesions

The three prevalent skin cancers, according to the literature are melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

15 Aug 2018

One in two people putting their eye health at risk during summer, says eye research charity

Leading eye research charity Fight for Sight says that one in two people is putting their eye health at risk during sunny weather by not always wearing ultraviolet protective sunglasses to protect their eyes.

10 Aug 2018

Few tips to help avoid sunburns in summer

It's all fun in the sun until you realize you should have reapplied more sunscreen. Sunburns are no fun, but more importantly, they are dangerous. This reddening of your skin caused by overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation may seem like just a temporary irritation- but it can cause long-lasting damage.

18 Jul 2018

Researchers uncover new therapeutic opportunity in the treatment of malignant melanoma

A team of researchers led by Dr Pierre Close, WELBIO researcher at the ULiège GIGA Institute and Dr Francesca Rapino has uncovered a new therapeutic opportunity in the treatment of malignant melanoma that acquired resistance to targeted therapies.

21 Jun 2018

Skin tone makes big difference in diagnosis and treatment of dermatologic conditions

Should a health care provider consider the color of a patient's skin in making a medical decision?

18 Jun 2018

Study unravels 'blood stem cell niche' puzzle

In humans and other mammals, the stem cells that give rise to all blood cells are located in the bone. But in fish, blood stem cells are found in the kidney. Since the late 1970s, when biologists first realized that blood develops in a specific location in the body — the ‘blood stem cell niche’ — they have wondered why different creatures have evolved to carry out this function in different locations.

18 Jun 2018

Hunger peptides sent through the brain's fluid cause appetite, shows study

A USC study shows the brain's plumbing system serves double duty, flushing waste and channeling a hunger molecule that tells you when you should eat.

1 Jun 2018

Researcher aims to develop virtual biopsy tool for early melanoma detection

With Skin Cancer Awareness Month upon us, Colorado State University researcher Jesse Wilson is accelerating research to improve imaging and detection of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, and the fifth most common cancer in the United States.

21 May 2018