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Zebrafish exposes natural sunscreen production pathway, research shows
May 14, 2026
On May 13, the Cell Press journal Trends in Biotechnology published research study from Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China involving editing a microbial genome to produce UV-protective compound gadusol 93 times faster than ever before. The study suggested feasibility of further research in this area towards certification and commercialisation of sunscreens, potentially reducing reliance on artifical compounds and reducing the risk of skin irritation.
The researchers borrowed the approach from zebrafish, which involves the Escherichia coli bacteria in producing the key UV-protecting component to protect the fishes' transparent eggs. The researchers started editing the environment and the genes of the bacteria to increase the throughoutput. Using color testing of antioxidant concentration, they selected which gene edits increased the volume of gadudol produced by the bacteria.
Lead author Ping Zhang commented about gadusol, saying it was expensive and not sustainable to retrieve from wild environments, “It is scarce in nature, and extracting it is inefficient and can carry environmental costs. We want to find a scalable and greener way to produce gadusol.”
The researchers noted that future work could include UV protection testing, safety testing, regulatory paperwork and commercialisation of “cell factories” to produce the compound.
Several national and local research agencies had funded the study.
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