Research by the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy suggests that a vaccine stimulating production of a protein critical to the skin s antioxidant network could help people bolster their defenses against skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun leads to oxidative stress, which increases the risk of skin cancers such as melanoma, explains Arup Indra, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at OSU and the study’s leader. A messenger RNA vaccine, like the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for COVID-19, that promoted production of the protein, TRI, in skin cells could mitigate the risk of UV-induced cancers and other skin problems, he said. Findings of the research, in which Arup and collaborators used a mouse model to probe TRl’s role in skin cells' health and stability, were published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Melanoma, the most lethal type of skin cancer, is a form in which malignant cells form in skin cells known as melanocytes; melanocytes produce the pigment melanin, which determines skin color. Most cases of skin cancer, the CDC says, are linked to UV radiation exposure. People become tan from exposure to the sun or tanning beds because producing melanin is the body’s way of trying to protect the skin from burning.