School of Biomedical Sciences cordially invites you to join the following seminar:

Speaker: Professor Qing-Jun Meng, Professor of Chronobiology, Associate Dean for Internationalisation (Research & Innovation), Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester
Talk Title: Circadian rhythms in human skin health and their cosmeceutical implications

Date: 8 May 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Venue: Seminar Room 1, G/F, Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road
Host: Professor Danny Chan

Biography

Qing-Jun Meng (MD and PhD) is a Professor of Chronobiology and the Associate Dean for Internationalisation (Research and Innovation) in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, at the University of Manchester. He was awarded an MRC Career Development Fellowship in 2009, a Versus Arthritis Senior Research Fellowship in 2015, and promoted to a Chair Professor at the University of Manchester in 2017.  His research interest is the interface between circadian biology, extracellular matrix homeostasis and age-related diseases, including breast cancer, osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc degeneration, and skin ageing He has received research funding from the MRC, BBSRC sLoLa, Wellcome Trust, Versus Arthritis, Breast Cancer Now and No.7 Beauty Company. His research has received extensive media coverage including BBC Breakfast (TV), BBC Radio Stoke, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio Manchester. He is the recipient of the University of Manchester Distinguished Achievement Medal Award - the FBMH Researcher of the Year 2024.

Abstract

Circadian (24-hourly) clocks are evolutionarily conserved biological timers that exist in almost all cells of the body. Clocks in the brain and peripheral tissues temporally coordinate local physiology to align with the daily rhythmic environment, including the light/dark cycle. Circadian disruption (during ageing, shift work and jet lag) has been proposed as a risk factor for a range of age-related conditions including skin ageing. Daily molecular rhythms are known to modulate skin physiology. However, the effects of chronic daily sunlight exposure on these rhythms remain unstudied. In this seminar, I will introduce the circadian biology and their biomedical relevance. I will then focus on our new understanding of circadian rhythm in human skin tissue, the effects of chronic UV exposure on skin circadian rhythms, and how these findings are relevant to cosmeceutical industry.

ALL ARE WELCOME.