Large scale natural melanin production for military applications

Melanins are natural pigments that are found in a wide range of living organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. Melanin pigments play diverse and important roles, including protecting microorganisms against UV radiation, thermoregulation in lower vertebrates, and photoprotection of the skin in higher mammals. The most remarkable function of melanin is its capacity in radiation protection and energy transduction. The role of melanin in radiation protection makes melanin a promising material for enhanced protection of military and civilian personnel against ionizing radiation and energy transduction in radioactive environments. Eumelanin is the most studied of all classes of melanins. To address the Army’s need for scalable production of naturally produced melanin for military applications, Lynntech proposes to conduct a systematic study of melanin production from melanoma cell lines and characterize the ability of the produced melanins in collecting, storing and releasing multiple forms of dispersed energy. The goal of this Phase I effort is to determine an optimal pathway towards large scale productions of eumelanin while retaining desirable natural properties.