Genesis Genomics is offering something new under the sun.

New technology developed by a North-East company could help give sun worshippers some peace of mind. Graeme King spoke to founder Professor Mark Birch-Machin.

Projecting your skin in the sun has up to now been a matter of common sense, lashings of sun cream, and careful examination of any moles on your body. But now an North-East academic is bringing science to bear on the matter with a test which can identify how much your DNA has been damaged by the sun, and ( allied with a lifestyle questionnaire ( the provision of tailored advice to keep you safe both from sunburn, and skin cancer.

Professor Mark Birch-Machin is the man behind Genesis Genomics, formed at Newcastle University to commercialise his academic work.

The professor's team has been looking not only at developing the "skinphysical" DNA test, but also to develop a rating system for sun creams, to grade them according to how well they protect your DNA.

It is this development which has interested cosmetic companies and will see Prof Birch-Machin shortly sign a deal to work in partnership with a major company, and pave the way for Genesis to attract new investment. Prof Birch-Machin said: "We can help cosmetic companies to design smart sunscreen, and we can test existing sunscreens on their ability to prevent DNA damage.

"What we will be able to provide is, ultimately, a DNA protection factor for sunscreens. We are talking to quite large cosmetic companies. They have come to us saying they would like to access our technology. We expect to sign something very soon."

Prof Birch-Machin said Genesis Genomics's new chairman Jim Skinner, who has experience of taking more than 100 products through the regulatory hurdles of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US, was helping to lead the process of commercialising the company's technology.

Genesis now has a revamped business plan, with the idea that companies it signs up to work with will appear on it. Prof Birch-Machin said: "We will take that plan to investors both in the North-East and in north America. Now is the time to invest."

The more immediate use of Genesis's technology is the skinphysical test, however, which allows individuals to check the state of their skin, and hence how careful they need to be in the sun.

Prof Birch-Machin said: "We have developed what you can summarise as sunburn DNA technology. We are number one in the world for doing this.

"We want people to enjoy the sun, but enjoy it more safely. We are careful to say we are not offering cancer diagnosis ( this is about a measure of sun damage.

"So it's about a level of risk, rather than a diagnosis.

"We just try to get them to adhere to the Sunsmart Code (safe sun exposure advice promoted by Cancer Research UK)."

Genesis asks those wanting a skinphysical test to fill in a lifestyle questionnaire, then this information is combined with the results of tests on a small skin sample, taken from the end of the elbow crease on the upper arm ( to check how an individual's DNA has been damaged by the sun.

Currently, the test is only available from a small number of private cosmetic dermatology clinics but Genesis is also talking to other potential outlets.

It costs from pounds 250, but Genesis hope to reduce the price as more and more tests are performed and the company can benefit from economies of scale.

Skinphysical is also aiming to develop a system to telling people the age of their skin ( to show results such as a 30-year-old woman having the skin of a 50-year-old in terms of damage.

Genesis, with 15 staff, is currently renting space within the dermatology department at Newcastle University, but expects to move in August to new facilities in the university's medical school, which have been refurbished by CELS (Centre of Excellence in Life Sciences).