Researchers have developed a “morning after” sunburn cream that appears to repair sun-damaged skin and may help to reduce the risk of skin cancer. Trials on patients with the incurable genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), who are 1,000 more times likely to develop skin cancer than normal people, revealed that the cream reduced the incidence of basal cell carcinoma by 30% and the incidence of precancerous actinic keratoses by a staggering 68%. The cream, called Dimercine, contains a bacterial enzyme called T4 endonuclease V, which helps to repair damaged DNA and therefore reduces the likelihood of tumor development. The developers are now seeking FDA approval of Dimercine for XP sufferers, and are planning trials to see if it would help to protect the general population from skin cancer.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.ap.org on the 6th August 2001
