Prof Antony Young
King’s College London, London, UK

Antony Young is emeritus professor of experimental photobiology at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, King’s College London, London, UK. He has a long research history on the adverse and beneficial roles of solar ultraviolet radiation on human health. These include molecular and clinical outcomes such as DNA photodamage, vitamin D synthesis and photoimmunosuppression. Prof Young has also worked on the role of melanin on photoprotection in vivo and its effect on vitamin D synthesis. He has studied the effects of sunscreens under laboratory conditions and in “real life” holiday situations, including their impact on vitamin D synthesis. Most recently he has studied mycosporine like amino acids (MAA) which are natural sunscreens and antioxidants derived from algal species. These studies reflect an interest in public health as does Prof Young’s membership (recently retired) of the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of the United Nations Environment Programme.