Grant: Engage Grants for Universities

Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer, with over 80,000 cases of skin cancer in Canada annually. Sunscreen and sun_x000D_ protection industry is projected to reach $14.5 billion by 2020. Suncayr, a Canadian company, develops unique preventative_x000D_ measures to avoid the common problems associated with over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Suncayr is creating indicators_x000D_ (stickers) that change colour when exposed to ultraviolet light. This sticker when coated with a sunscreen will give the user the_x000D_ assurance as to when the sunscreen is no longer protective. The product has two functional parts, one of which is a skinmimicking_x000D_ film (SMF) that is designed to behave similarly to the human's skin. Upon swimming/sweating and toweling, the_x000D_ sunscreen should be removed from the SMF surface at a similar rate to how it is removed from the human skin. The company has_x000D_ discovered that the SMF fails to mimic the sunscreen-coated human skin in salty water, which necessitates the study of the_x000D_ properties of chitosan/gelatin-based CMFs in ionic solutions. Understanding of the mechanism of SMF properties in the ionic_x000D_ environment of salty water, in comparison with fresh water, will guide the design new and improvement of existing SMF_x000D_ formulations and will lead to new products that will be successfully commercialized. The development of Suncayrs technologies_x000D_ will also play a role in increasing Canadas competitiveness in the global sunscreen and related sun protection industry._x000D_