The AusSun Research Lab conducts research in ultraviolet (UV) radiation and its subsequent health effects on Australians. Some common, well-known, negative health effects are skin cancer, sunburn, and eye damage. However UV radiation can also have a positive effect on the body through vitamin D synthesis. AusSun is involved in research in both of these areas.
Topics of Interest
Current Projects
The Response of Skin Cells to Sunlight
Melanomas are common cancers arising from the pigment cells of the skin. Sunlight or ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the principal environmental causal factor for this group of cancers, although there is increasing evidence that the effect of sunlight on the pigment cells is not the same for all people. This project will explore melanoma develop by studying the response of melanocytes following UVR exposure this information may assist the development of effective prevention strategies.
The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between the host phenotype on the activity of melanocytes in vivo following exposure to solar simulated ultraviolet radiation (SS-UVR). This study is designed to improve our understanding of the interplay between sun exposure, genetic susceptibility and melanoma risk. The research questions to be answered by this study are: “What happens to melanocytes ‘in vivo’ following exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and do host phenotypic factors, or the use of sunscreen, modify these effects?” This in turn will help us understand the impact of sun exposure and genetic factors in the development and progression of melanomas in humans.
Interested research students please contact Dr Elke Hacker, elke.hacker@qut.edu.au
If you are interested in being a research participant please contact uv.skinstudy@qut.edu.au or see our information brochure (PDF, 939KB) for more details.
AusD - A Study of Vitamin D in Australian Adults
Vitamin D (the “sunshine vitamin”) is produced in the body after exposure of bare skin to sunlight (UV radiation). Vitamin D was discovered early in the 20th century when rickets in sunlight-deprived children became common. We now know that Vitamin D is very important to bone health at all ages: deficiency in children causes rickets, in older children it prevents the development of strong bones, and in adults it contributes to the development of osteoporosis and can increase the risk of falls and bone fractures.
More recently, research has suggested that Vitamin D may have other positive effects on health, including decreasing the risk of developing some cancers, diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease and some mental disorders. However, further research is necessary to confirm these findings.
How much Vitamin D do you need and how do you get it?
In Australia, over 95 per cent of our Vitamin D is made in the body, following sun exposure of our skin. Current guidelines for how much sun exposure is needed to make healthy levels of Vitamin D are based on old studies which used only a very small number of people. Although many factors affect how much Vitamin D an individual makes, we are not clear just what effect these factors have.
What is the “AusD” study?
AusD is a three-year study that has been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, to look at the factors that influence Vitamin D production in Australian adults. The project title is: "Quantitiative assessment of solar UV exposure for Vitamin D synthesis in Australian adults". Specifically, we are interested in how factors such as location, personal characteristics (like skin, hair and eye colour), individual sun protection and sun exposure habits, diet and physical activity, affect Vitamin D levels. Study participants are asked to complete several questionnaires, have body/skin measurements taken, wear UV-detecting badges on their wrist, complete a 10 day sun/activity diary, and provide a blood sample for analysis of Vitamin D. The overall aim of the study is to help improve the Vitamin D status of the population
Who is involved in participating?
Study participants are randomly-selected adults aged between 18 and 75 years, who are living within a 20km radius of the four study sites in Townsville, Brisbane, Canberra, and Hobart. These sites represent a good climatic cross-section of Australia, thereby enabling us to gather information on the impact of climate and sunlight differences on the production of Vitamin D. We aim to interview 250 participants in each study site.
Who is conducting the study?
The AusD study is being coordinated at the Queensland University of Technology (under the direction of Professor Michael Kimlin), with associate investigators located at the Australian National University (Canberra), James Cook University (Townsville), and the Menzies Research Centre (Hobart).
Data collection for the AusD study commenced in May 2009 and is currently ongoing.
Funding Acknowledgement:
NHMRC, Project Number: 497220.
Environmental UV radiation exposure and its health duality for Queenslanders
This research program aligns with Priority 5 Sustainable Health of the Queensland R&D priorities released in April 2003. The program will provide a detailed analysis of UV exposures of the Queensland population as a basis for assessing both the positive and negative health effects of exposure to UV. The strength of this approach is further enhanced by the novel application of this UV data to estimate personal human UV exposure and to relate these data to the incidence and prevalence of cancer. This research program will help create significant health, environmental and economic benefits for Queensland and in due course, the rest of Australia, via a range of public health and other applications. Thus far, little research has been conducted into quantitative assessment of the UV environment, but even more importantly, there has been little research into human UV exposure in the State of Queensland over an extended period of time. There is a clear need for a research program in this area as the potential benefits are wide ranging and substantial.
Funding Acknowledgements:
Queensland Government, Queensland Health Scientific Services, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (EnTox), Queensland University of Technology.
Assessment of Environmental UVA Exposure
The incidence of skin cancer can be reduced by the minimization of exposures to UV radiation. For this to occur, a greater understanding of the solar UV exposure to humans in different environments is necessary. A personal dosimeter already exists for the measurement of the short wavelength UVB, and until recently, no dosimeter that measured the UVA waveband existed. However, we have developed and tested a prototype dosimeter to measure the longer wavelength UVA. Exposure to harmful solar UVA radiation is linked to skin cancer incidence and premature skin photoageing and wrinkling in humans. In the fight against the ravages caused to the human body by solar UV, there is a major gap in the scientific knowledge on the amount of UVA received by humans. Accordingly, this project aims to refine this working prototype dosimeter that will allow quantification of the UVA exposures. Socially and economically, this research project will aid in the creation of a sun-safe environment leading to skin cancer prevention and contribute to life-long public health benefits for the population. This project asks the following research question/s: How much filtered UVA is transmitted through glass? Does the indoor filtered solar UV in the workplace contribute to UVA exposure? How much does this filtered UVA contribute to the total UV exposure of humans? Specifically this project aims to: Based on a working prototype, further develop a reliable UVA dosimeter to measure the filtered UVA; Undertake a series of field measurements using the UVA dosimeter to evaluate the UV exposure inside motor vehicles, hopping malls and office buildings; Produce a database of exposures for each of these settings for each season; Disseminate the findings through publications and conferences to public health officials.
Funding Acknowledgement:
US National Institute of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute, Grant Number: 1 RO1 CA101602-01A2.