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Night shift workers' skin may struggle to fix sun damage, study suggests

NCT ID NCT04122456

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Wright State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
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Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
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Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

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Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
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Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
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Status unknown
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First seen Jul 17, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026

Summary

This pilot study investigates whether working night shifts changes how the skin repairs DNA damage caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, a type of artificial sunlight. Researchers will take small skin samples from 48 fair-skinned day and night shift workers at two times of day (8 am and 4 pm) and expose them to UVB in the lab. They will measure DNA repair activity and clock gene expression to see if shift work affects the skin's ability to respond to sun damage.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Ultraviolet B radiation exposure to skin biopsies in the lab
What this could lead to
If successful, this study could help explain why night shift workers have a higher risk of skin cancer and point toward preventive strategies.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study with only 48 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. It measures lab-based responses, not actual cancer outcomes.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 48 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2022

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 40 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Male/Female * Fair skin (Fitzpatrick types I and II) * Age 18 to 40 * Able to comprehend procedures/risks * Primarily work and are awake during normal daylight hours (6 am to 6 pm), or primarily work and are awake during night shifts hours (between the hours of 6 pm and 6 am) or may work a mixture of these shifts over the past 3 months. Rotating shifts will be categorized based on the majority of hours worked on average during the last 3 months. Able to fill out a 3-month calendar of work schedule. Exclusion Criteria: * Known photosensitivity * Currently on photosensitizing medications * Diabetes Mellitus * On any hormonal agents (e.g., birth control pills) * History of abnormal scarring * History of skin infections * History of skin cancers * History of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia * Known allergy to lidocaine local anesthetic * Pregnancy or nursing * Other serious health issues

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

skin cancer skin neoplasm

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Skin cancer

How to take part

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  1. The study's own enquiry address

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  2. The places running it

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  3. The official record

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    Open the record ↗

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Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • Wright State Physicians

    RECRUITING

    Fairborn, Ohio, 45324, United States

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