Researchers were able to produce the biological substance melanin for the first time under laboratory conditions

The results of the study showed that with the help of the new technology developed by the researchers, it is possible to control the production process of melanin in the laboratory, and obtain a pigment similar in its properties to biological melanin

A new study led by researchers from Tel Aviv University succeeded for the first time in the world in mimicking the production process, the biosynthesis of melanin under laboratory conditions. This is a scientific achievement since the researchers were able to prove that it is possible to control pigment production in a similar way under laboratory conditions, similar to the production capacity of the body.

Melanin is a pigment produced in the bodies of living beings and used for various and essential functions, including protection of the skin against UV radiation, protection against free radicals and structural support in various tissues. According to the researchers, the new development may greatly help the cosmetics industry and the world of dermatology.

The new study was conducted by doctoral student Talalit Messerno and Dr. Abigail Baruch, both researchers in the laboratory of Dr. Ila Lampel from the Shemunis School of Biomedical Research and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences. Dr. Michal Whitman from Bar Ilan University also participated in the study. The researchers explain that the biological substance melanin serves as a biological "filter" that absorbs UV radiation and thus actually significantly reduces the amount of radiation that penetrates the skin. At the same time, for many people, especially those with a light skin tone whose skin produces a small amount of melanin, the natural protection against the sun's radiation is not sufficient.

As part of the research, the researchers drew inspiration from the biological production process of melanin, which is controlled in time and space and takes place in small spaces inside the cell called organelles, and wanted to prove that it is possible to control the production of the pigment in a similar way under laboratory conditions, similar to the production capacity of the body. The researchers built a system of liquid droplets that are formed in the phase separation process of two polymers. Those drops mimic cellular organelles and allow the entry and absorption of molecules into the contents (for example an enzyme, a type of protein, which accelerates the reaction). Thus, the environment is more accessible to changes that facilitate the creation of melanin.

Dr. Lampel: "Biological materials are much more complex in their properties than synthetic materials and so is the way in which they are produced in the body compared to their production in the laboratory. One of the main challenges we are trying to face is the ability to control the production process of biomaterials in the laboratory by using processes similar to those that occur in our bodies to produce biological materials, similar to the current work in which we produced melanin inside liquid droplets that simulate cellular organelles." The results of the study showed that with the help of the new technology the researchers They developed that it is possible to control the production process of melanin in the laboratory, and obtain a pigment similar in its properties to biological melanin.