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Topic · Cell Biology

melanin and skin pigmentation

melanin and skin pigmentation is a research topic within Cell Biology. Science Explorer counts 29k research works in it since 1950. 10.1% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers explores the genetics, regulation, and adaptive significance of melanin pigmentation in mammalian skin, including its role in UV damage protection, hormonal regulation, and conditions such as vitiligo. It covers a wide range of topics from the molecular mechanisms of melanogenesis to the evolutionary and adaptive aspects of skin coloration.

  • Melanin
  • Pigmentation
  • Melanocyte
  • Regulation
  • Tyrosinase
  • UV Damage
  • Skin Color
  • Genetics
  • Vitiligo
  • Adaptation
Research works
29k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
3k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.1%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+16%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
31% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
melanin and skin pigmentation

Which countries lead melanin and skin pigmentation research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (1.2k and 832 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 1.2k works
  2. 2 United States 832 works
  3. 3 India 531 works
  4. 4 South Korea 279 works
  5. 5 Japan 175 works
  6. 6 France 169 works
  7. 7 Egypt 164 works
  8. 8 Italy 150 works
  9. 9 Brazil 140 works
  10. 10 United Kingdom 138 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 31.2%United States: 22.2%India: 14.2%South Korea: 7.4%6 others listed: 25.0%31%largest
China1,172 · 31.2%United States832 · 22.2%India531 · 14.2%South Korea279 · 7.4%6 others listed936 · 25.0%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead melanin and skin pigmentation research?

By volume in 2022-now, All India Institute of Medical Sciences publishes the most melanin and skin pigmentation research, followed by Zhejiang University and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 All India Institute of Medical SciencesIndia 33 works
  2. 2 Zhejiang UniversityChina 30 works
  3. 3 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 29 works
  4. 4 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 28 works
  5. 5 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeChina 27 works
  6. 6 Harvard UniversityUnited States 27 works
  7. 7 InsermFrance 24 works
  8. 8 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 24 works
  9. 9 Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesChina 24 works
  10. 10 Fudan UniversityChina 24 works

Who are the leading researchers in melanin and skin pigmentation?

The most-cited researchers publishing on melanin and skin pigmentation include Eric S. Lander, George Davey Smith and Mark J. Daly.

  1. 1 Eric S. Lander United States 524k citations
  2. 2 George Davey Smith United Kingdom 435k citations
  3. 3 Mark J. Daly United States 403k citations
  4. 4 Jost Bruno Jonas Germany 350k citations
  5. 5 Jun Wang China 340k citations
  6. 6 John P. A. Ioannidis United States 317k citations
  7. 7 Todd R. Golub United States 283k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in melanin and skin pigmentation?

The most cited paper in melanin and skin pigmentation is "A biomarker that identifies senescent human cells in culture and in aging skin in vivo." (Goberdhan P. Dimri, X Lee, George Basile et al., 1995), with 7,565 citations. Next come "Reactive microglia are positive for HLA‐DR in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease brains" (3,039) and "Distinct Sets of Genetic Alterations in Melanoma" (2,732).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 A biomarker that identifies senescent human cells in culture and in aging skin in vivo. Goberdhan P. Dimri, X Lee, George Basile et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open access 26 Sep 1995 7,565
2 Reactive microglia are positive for HLA‐DR in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease brains Patrick L. McGeer, Shigeru Itagaki, Barry E. Boyes et al. · Neurology Aug 1988 3,039
3 Distinct Sets of Genetic Alterations in Melanoma John A. Curtin, Jane Fridlyand, Toshiro Kageshita et al. · New England Journal of Medicine Open access 16 Nov 2005 2,732
4 Isolation of a Mouse Submaxillary Gland Protein Accelerating Incisor Eruption and Eyelid Opening in the New-born Animal Stanley Cohen · Journal of Biological Chemistry Open access May 1962 2,204
5 BRAFE600-associated senescence-like cell cycle arrest of human naevi Chrysiis Michaloglou, Liesbeth C.W. Vredeveld, Marı́a S. Soengas et al. · Nature Open access Aug 2005 2,159
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is melanin and skin pigmentation research done?

The largest centres of melanin and skin pigmentation research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China) and Guangzhou (China).

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 158 works
  2. 2 SeoulSouth Korea 106 works
  3. 3 ShanghaiChina 100 works
  4. 4 GuangzhouChina 72 works
  5. 5 ParisFrance 70 works
  6. 6 HangzhouChina 60 works
  7. 7 New DelhiIndia 56 works
  8. 8 New YorkUnited States 54 works
  9. 9 NanjingChina 48 works
  10. 10 TehranIran 46 works
See melanin and skin pigmentation on the map

Where is the best place to study melanin and skin pigmentation?

Among universities, judged by research, Fudan University, Harvard University and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 18.41%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →Ghent UniversityFudan UniversityChinese Academy of M…Harvard University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Fudan UniversityChina 70.522.0%3.1×24 +11.3%
2Harvard UniversityUnited States 68.410.1%1.8×27 +2.3%
3Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeChina 67.715.7%5.3×27 +73.0%
4Ghent UniversityBelgium 64.822.9%2.5×9 +35.8%
5Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 64.317.0%1.7×24 +102.6%
6North Carolina State UniversityUnited States 62.120.8%4.8×13 +446.2%
7Air Force Medical UniversityChina 61.625.9%14.2×11 -1.3%
8Sichuan UniversityChina 61.016.4%1.7×19 +54.4%
9Jeju National UniversitySouth Korea 60.619.4%22.9×13 +18.9%
10Mahidol UniversityThailand 60.313.9%6.0×14 +13.4%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in melanin and skin pigmentation, country by country

Is melanin and skin pigmentation research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 16% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are melanin and skin pigmentation.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is melanin and skin pigmentation as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.023% in 2024.

still counting0.020%0.040%0.060%melanin and skin pigmentation0.024% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of melanin and skin pigmentation over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%melanin and skin pigmentation10.1% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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