Open competition grant from the Leo Foundation for a study on melanocytes

Marta Giacomello, a researcher in the Department of Biology at the University of Padua, has been awarded the Open competition grant of the Leo Foundation in Copenhagen. 650 thousand euros will thus be allocated to the study of a cellular mechanism never previously analysed in the skin cells that produce melanin, the melanocytes. The researcher is among the very few international researchers to have obtained three competitive grants from the LEO Foundation.

With the project Uncovering the Role of Crinophagy in Melanosome Homeostasis and Pigmentation Disorders, the research aims to clarify whether and how crinophagy contributes to the proper functioning of melanocytes.

"The question my line of research seeks to answer," says Marta Giacomello, "is how the cells in our skin synthesise and accumulate melanin while preserving their own homeostasis. Thanks to crinophagy, the cell may be able to eliminate secretory granules directly when they are no longer needed, avoiding waste and toxic build-up. The aim of the study is to reveal how this process regulates the balance of melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing melanin. Understanding how crinophagy helps to manage, store and recycle cellular pigmentation could reveal fundamental details about how the skin defends itself against oxidative stress and environmental stress factors."