Characterisation of the cellular changes induced by ultraviolet A radiation

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Sunlight is an important environmental health hazard as it causes immunosuppression and cancer. It suppresses our ability to destroy developing cancers. Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, 66% of Australians develop skin cancer during their lifetime. The relationship between UV dose, wavelength and cancer in humans is unknown. As this cannot be directly experimentally determined in humans, surrogate biological endpoints such as immunosuppression will help determine the damaging wavebands within sunlight. There has been little work on the effect of UVA on health or the mechanisms of action of UVA compared to UVB. A recent consensus UVA working group of 80 international participants convened by the American Academy of Dermatology out of concern about the lack of knowledge of UVA on human health concluded that the action spectrum for photocarcinogenesis and photoageing, particularly the efficacy of UVA in humans remains to be elucidated, and that more funding should be provided for radiation biology research to help elucidate UVA mechanisms of injury. Similarly a recent expert meeting (including Prof. Halliday) convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) on sunscreen protection from skin cancer recommended that studies should be conducted on the effects of exposure to UVA in causing both photoageing and skin cancer which followed from their major recommendation that it is important to understand the nature of the dose-response relationship on risk and the action spectrum for each effect . The studies described in this project will contribute to these recommendations.