A sunscreen that uses DNA to act as a 'second skin' has been made by scientists.

The DNA coating - which is made from salmon sperm - gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun.

When applied to human skin, the coating is also capable of slowing water evaporation and keeping the tissue hydrated for extended periods of time.

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Scientists have developed a DNA coating that gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun (stock image)

WHAT DOES IT DO? Scientists have developed a DNA coating that gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun. When applied to human skin, the coating is also capable of slowing water evaporation and keeping the tissue hydrated for extended periods of time. Researchers want to see if these materials could be used as wound coverings for hostile environments where you want to protect a wound from the sun or keep it moist which will promote healing. Advertisement

Researchers from Binghamton University developed the thin and optically transparent crystalline DNA films and filled them with UV light.

They found that the more they exposed the film to UV light, the better the film got at absorbing it.

'Ultraviolet (UV) light can actually damage DNA, and that's not good for the skin,' said Guy German, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Binghamton University.

'We thought, let's flip it. What happens instead if we actually used DNA as a sacrificial layer?

'So instead of damaging DNA within the skin, we damage a layer on top of the skin', he said.

Researchers created the film using DNA from salmon sperm, water and ethanol.

The DNA film is also hygroscopic. This means it will allow the skin to hold much more water than un-coated skin.

'If you translate that, it means to me that if you use this as a topical cream or sunscreen, the longer that you stay out on the beach, the better it gets at being a sunscreen'.

The DNA coating - which is made from salmon sperm - gets better at protecting skin from ultraviolet light the more you expose it to the sun

Researchers want to see if these materials could be used as wound coverings for hostile environments.

They could help protect a wound from the sun or keep it moist which will promote healing.

'Not only do we think this might have applications for sunscreen and moisturisers directly, but if it's optically transparent and prevents tissue damage from the sun and it's good at keeping the skin hydrated,' said Dr German.

'We think this might be potentially exploitable as a wound covering for extreme environments', he said.

'This product would need to be developed further and validated before we know whether it might work and help protect people in real life situations', said Nikki Smith, health information officer at Cancer Research UK.