Indian-origin researcher detects 135 new melanin genes responsible for pigmentation

Bajpai developed a novel method to detect and quantify the melanin-producing activity of melanocytes. A new study by an Indian-origin researcher has identified 135 new genes associated with pigmentation, which when targeted could help in developing melanin-modifying drugs for vitiligo and other pigmentation diseases.

“To understand what actually causes different amounts of melanin to be produced, we used a technology called CRISPR-Cas9 to genetically engineer cells,” Bajpai said.

"Using CRISPR, we systematically removed more than 20,000 genes from hundreds of millions of melanocytes and observed the impact on melanin production.”

Bajpai’s role in the study was completed during his professorship at the University of Oklahoma. However, a portion of this research took place during his postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University.