An amazing discovery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: 'A burial represents a symbol of pharmacy'    Netanyahu denounces bid to arrest him over Gaza war    'Day of shame' as inquiry slams 'successive governments' for UK infected blood scandal    Seismic storm hits Italy's Campi Flegrei super volcano with strongest earthquake in 40 years    South Korea bans viral hit 'idolizing' Kim Jong Un    'Two Kingdoms' initiative celebrates shared Saudi-UK artistic legacy    Montenegro temporarily exempts Saudi citizens from entry visa requirement    King Salman, Crown Prince condole death of Iran's President Raisi    Saudi Finance Minister leads delegation to Beijing for key economic talks    Minister Al-Khateeb: Saudi Arabia will become a global aviation hub    Al-Jasser: Reform in aviation rules to facilitate achieving 300 million passengers and 250 destinations    China hits back at US and EU as trade rows deepen    Saudi Arabia bans import of vehicles from 20 automakers that failed to submit supply plan    Oleksandr Usyk claims undisputed heavyweight title in 'Ring of Fire' match in Riyadh    Saudi Arabia: The emerging cultural powerhouse shaping global soft power dynamics    Jorge Jesus praises Al Hilal's resilience after dramatic last-minute draw in Riyadh Derby    Star golfer Scottie Scheffler arrested over alleged assault on police officer    Saudi Arabia joins International Agency for Research on Cancer    Row erupts over portraits of Australia's richest woman    Al-Ittihad's victory drought continues, misses chance to qualify for ACL elite    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tanning Cream May Ward Off Skin Cancer
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 24 - 09 - 2006

Scientists say they have discovered a cream that may ward off skin cancer by tanning skin a golden bronze without exposure to the sun, according to Reuters.
Tests so far have been confined to mice, but researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital in Boston say the findings would mark a seismic shift in the biology of tanning if the cream was determined to be safe for humans.
Unlike sunless tanning lotions that color the skin, the cream alters skin pigmentation much like a suntan. The more days it was applied, the darker the skin became. A heavy application over more than a week left some mice nearly black.
The mice experienced no dangerous side effects, scientists said.
And researchers said the findings suggest people may be able to change their skin pigmentation to ward off skin cancers like melanoma, the world's fastest-growing cancer.
“We just kind of smeared it on once a day, five days a week. Within a couple of days you could clearly see they were becoming darker,” said David Fisher, director of the Melanoma Program at Dana-Farber and senior author of the study published in the journal Nature on Thursday.
The cream “switched on the tanning machinery” in mice skin cells that were genetically designed to resemble those in blond and redheaded people, the study said.
People who tan easily, or have naturally dark skin, are far less likely to develop skin cancer than those with fair skin, the study said, a point which Fisher said underlined its potential significance in reducing cancer rates at a time when more fair-skinned people are living in sun-belts like the southern United States, Australia and the Middle East.
In the United States, melanoma accounts for 62,000 new cases of cancer a year and nearly 8,000 deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
The molecule at the heart of the cream recreates a process that occurs naturally when ultraviolet sunlight strikes skin cells.
The cells respond differently depending on a person's skin type. For people who tan well, the sun's ultraviolet rays initially harm DNA in the skin, but this is followed by a robust tanning that curbs the DNA damage.
For lousy tanners, even a light tan can inflict significant DNA damage that can lead to cancers like melanoma by causing pigment-making skin cells known as melanocytes to begin dividing rampantly. The researchers say a darkening in pigmentation can help these people reduce that risk.
“Our strategy turns on pigment but doesn't touch the DNA,” said Fisher.
“This actually may represent a broader strategy to prevent the damage that UV causes in the skin, shielding the skin in ways that traditional sunscreens cannot.”
The next step, he said, is to test it on humans to see whether ultraviolet light follows the same path to stimulating pigment change as in the mice, which have thinner skin.
“Preliminarily it looks like it is exactly the same as human skin,” Fisher, who is also a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, told Reuters. “You could give this drug as much as you wanted,” he added.
“It could get to a point where it would literally turn the skin a very dark brown/black.” But he said a number of hurdles remain before determining whether it was safe for humans, including whether it would cause side effects. “The initial glimpses look promising but it's early still,” he said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.