This conference poster explores the role of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived sensory neurons in regulating skin pigmentation. Using a co-culture system with normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEM), the study investigates how neuron-derived factors influence melanocyte activity and melanin production.

The results show that sensory neuron-conditioned media significantly increases melanin synthesis without affecting melanocyte viability, highlighting the importance of neuron–melanocyte interactions in pigmentation biology. This model provides a human-relevant “disease-in-a-dish” platform for studying hyperpigmentation and supporting therapeutic or cosmetic compound screening.