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

Research highlights potential of newly developed radiopharmaceuticals for imaging melanoma metastases

With low survival rates for patients with metastasized melanoma, accurate staging and effective treatments are critical to extending life. New research published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine highlights the potential of newly developed radiopharmaceuticals with benzamide for the imaging of metastases and as a targeted systemic therapy.

8 Jan 2014

OncoSec Medical reports positive interim data from OMS-I100 Phase 2 trial for metastatic melanoma

OncoSec Medical Inc., a company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy to treat solid tumors, today announced positive interim data from its ongoing Phase 2 trial of OMS-I100 in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The results were presented by principal investigator Adil Daud, MD, at the Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy meeting at the University of California San Francisco.

16 Dec 2013

MELA Sciences participates in skin cancer diagnostic workshop in Germany

MELA Sciences, Inc., designer and developer of MelaFind®, an FDA and CE Mark approved non-invasive optical device that assists dermatologists in diagnosing melanoma at its most curable stage, participated in a two-day hands-on skin cancer diagnostics workshop in Augsburg, Germany, where leading dermatologists examined "high-risk" melanoma patients with MelaFind® and also participated in an imaging devices exhibit.

6 Dec 2013

Genetic mutation that protects skin from UV radiation may cause testicular cancer in Caucasian

A Ludwig Cancer Research study published in Cell today identifies a common mutation that dramatically increases the risk for testicular cancer—and describes a likely molecular mechanism by which it exerts that effect.

11 Oct 2013

Patients with melanoma brain metastases can be treated with large doses of interleukin-2

In a retrospective study, Saint Louis University researchers have found that patients with melanoma brain metastases can be treated with large doses of interleukin-2 (HD IL-2), a therapy that triggers the body's own immune system to destroy the cancer cells.

31 Jul 2013

People with narcolepsy have increased number of neurons that produce histamine

A new study provides surprising evidence that people with narcolepsy have an increased number of neurons that produce histamine, suggesting that histamine signaling may be a novel therapeutic target for this potentially disabling sleep disorder.

4 Jun 2013

Photoacoustic imaging helps preserve healthy nodes in patients with metastasized cancer

If a tumour has spread through the lymph nodes, the decision is often taken to exercise caution and remove extra tissue, to prevent it from spreading further. This often involves the removal of healthy lymph nodes.

22 Apr 2013

Boosting hypocretin could elevate both mood and alertness in humans

What makes us happy? Family? Money? Love? How about a peptide? The neurochemical changes underlying human emotions and social behavior are largely unknown. Now though, for the first time in humans, scientists at UCLA have measured the release of a specific peptide, a neurotransmitter called hypocretin, that greatly increased when subjects were happy but decreased when they were sad.

8 Mar 2013

Sucampo's RESCULA 0.15% now available by prescription across the U.S.

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that RESCULA (unoprostone isopropyl ophthalmic solution) 0.15% is now available by prescription across the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a sNDA for RESCULA for the lowering of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension on December 7, 2012.

19 Feb 2013

Chemical sensitivity of TRPA1 ion channel may boost melanin production

Last year, a team of researchers at Brown University discovered that certain skin cells use a light-sensitive receptor found outside of the eye to sense ultraviolet light and quickly begin pumping out melanin to protect against DNA damage.

22 Jan 2013

Researchers uncover molecular structure of master regulator central to melanoma

With the X-ray vision of DESY's light source DORIS, a research team from Hamburg and Iceland has uncovered the molecular structure of a master regulator central to the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma.

1 Dec 2012

Positive preliminary results from ImmunoPulse Phase II trial in metastatic melanoma

OncoSec Medical Inc., a company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumors, announces positive preliminary results from a Phase II trial investigating the use of ImmunoPulse in metastatic melanoma patients at the 6th World Meeting of Interdisciplinary Melanoma Skin Cancer Centres & 8th EADO Congress.

15 Nov 2012

Researchers succeed in teaching computers how to identify commonalities in DNA sequences

Johns Hopkins researchers have succeeded in teaching computers how to identify commonalities in DNA sequences known to regulate gene activity, and to then use those commonalities to predict other regulatory regions throughout the genome. The tool is expected to help scientists better understand disease risk and cell development.

7 Nov 2012

OncoSec establishes UW as second enrolling site for OMS-I100 Phase II metastatic melanoma trial

OncoSec Medical Inc., a company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumor cancers, announced that it has established the University of Washington (UW) as the second enrolling site for its Phase II metastatic melanoma clinical trial (OMS-I100).

25 Sep 2012

Photoacoustics limited in its ability to identify multiple types of cancer

One person dies every hour from melanoma skin cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. A technique, known as photoacoustics, can find some forms of melanoma even if only a few cancerous cells exist, but a recent study by MU researchers found that the technique was limited in its ability to identify other types of cancer.

31 Jul 2012

UV induction of melanin is directly involved in melanoma formation

A new study conducted by GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) researchers Edward C. De Fabo, Ph.D., Frances P. Noonan, Ph.D., and Anastas Popratiloff, M.D., Ph.D., has been published in the journal Nature Communications. Their paper, entitled "Melanoma induction by ultraviolet A but not ultraviolet B radiation requires melanin pigment," was published in June 2012.

24 Jul 2012

Having antibodies for cutaneous HPV and sun exposure can act synergistically in BCC, SCC

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of South Florida and the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg have found that having antibodies for cutaneous types of human papillomavirus (HPV), coupled with sun exposure (ultraviolet radiation) or poor tanning ability, can act "synergistically" in the development of non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

26 Jun 2012

Skin cancer does not discriminate between skin colors

Do you have darker skin? If so, skin cancer might not be top of mind as a significant health threat, but beware – just because your skin is darker does not mean you are immune to skin cancer.

15 Jun 2012

Non-invasive hyperspectral imaging system for skin cancer screening relies on Andor technology

Malignant melanoma (MM), the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is caused mainly by intense episodes of UV exposure and originates in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Early detection and complete excision of the primary lesions is crucial for reducing melanoma-related deaths but current diagnostic practice is highly subjective. This leads to unnecessary surgical procedures, which are highly-invasive and expensive.

1 Mar 2012

New combination laser therapy effective in treating melasma

On the surface, it would seem as though the skin condition melasma (commonly referred to as the "mask of pregnancy") and tattoos would have little in common. However, they both affect a person's skin, can be quite difficult to treat or remove and, now, dermatologists are discovering new laser therapies which enhance treatment for both conditions.

8 Feb 2012