This 17th edition of Medicine at the Crick will be hosted by Veronica Kinsler  (The Francis Crick Institute, Great Ormond Street Hospital & UCL GOS Institute of Child Health).

Pigmentation due to melanin production is one of the most polymorphic and visually striking of all mammalian traits. Humans began by evolving darker skin, with much later redevelopment of lighter skin in some areas of the world. Fascinatingly, the drivers for skin darkening and later lightening are thought to have been different, both related to fundamental aspects for human health but not explicable by the modern-day (and usually post-reproductive) concerns regarding skin cancer development.

Whilst baseline skin pigmentation is critical for health, abnormalities within the pigmentary system can of course arise, and as melanocytes are not confined to the skin these can impact multiple bodily systems. These pathologies provide insights into normal embryological development and into the functional spectrum of the pigmentary system throughout the body.

This symposium will bring together international experts in the field of mammalian pigmentation to explore the role of the pigmentary system in health and disease. More details are available via our website.