Could nanomaterials hold the answer to reversing the effects of
UV radiation? By Sherrie Negrea The link between sunlight and
skin cancer is widely accepted — the absorption of ultraviolet
radiation can damage skin cells. Exactly how the sun’s radiation
breaks down the DNA within cells is a process that Changhong Ke,
assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has spent the
past six years trying to understand. At first, Ke used an atomic
force microscope with an extremely sharp tip to observe the
single- or double-strand breaks that radiation causes in DNA
molecules. More recently he has collaborated with Jie (Jayne)
Wu, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
at the University of Tennessee, to use an electrical field to
separate the DNA based on the impairment it has experienced.
“This can help us understand the damage caused by the radiation,
and it can be used to study the repair of DNA,” Ke says. “You
have to know how much damage occurred before you even consider
repairing the DNA.”