Desmond J Tobin
Summary
Desmond J. Tobin is Professor of Cell Biology and Director of the Centre for Skin Sciences at University of Bradford. He holds a BSc from the National University of Ireland (Maynooth), a PhD from the University of London (St. John’s Institute of Dermatology) and post-doctoral training from New York University Medical School. Over the past 20 years he has researched in basic and applied skin/hair sciences, with a particular focus on the biology of human melanocytes/ pigmentation and hair growth disorders especially those with an immune basis.
He was the first to identify antibodies to hair follicle-specific antigens in patients with acute alopecia areata, and also the first to establish melanocytes from the human hair follicles in long-term culture. He has identified a self-similarity of the POMC peptide system in the human hair follicle pigmentary unit, how pigmentation can be regulated by CRF and POMC peptides (incl. beta endorphin), and more recently by bone morphogenetic proteins. He has revealed an unexpected role for filopodia in melanin transfer under the influence of myoxin-X and cdc42. Des Tobin is a Fellow of Royal College of Pathologists, Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, and Fellow of the Institute of Trichologists (Vice-President). He is a member of the Healthcare Technology Cooperative in Wound Prevention and Treatment. Des serves(ed) on several editorial boards, and has published over 140 publications, incl. 3 books. His H-Index is currently 50.