PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for generating a hyperpigmentation condition gene expression signature for use in identifying connections between perturbagens and genes associated with a skin pigmentation condition.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a method that comprises: providing a gene expression profile for a human skin cell sample treated with at least one benchmark skin pigmentation modifying agent that is suspended in a vehicle composition and a gene expression profile for a human skin cell sample treated with a vehicle composition; comparing the expression profiles to determine a gene expression signature that includes a set of differentially expressed genes; assigning an identifier to each gene constituting the gene expression signature and ordering the identifiers according to the direction of differential expression to create one or more gene expression signature lists; and storing the one or more gene expression signature lists on at least one computer readable medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6
METHOD FOR GENERATING HYPERPIGMENTATION CONDITION GENE EXPRESSION SIGNATURE