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About Professor Rebecca Mason

Rebecca's work aims to find ways to reduce the burden of sun damage and skin cancer.

Professor Rebecca Mason is an internationally recognized leader in the role of Vitamin D, particularly in photoprotection and is a media commentator on the importance of vitamin D.

Rebecca Mason graduated in Medicine at Sydney University in 1975.  After hospital service, she completed a PhD on vitamin D at Sydney hospital, then moved to Royal North Shore Hospital in the Section of Endocrinology.  In 1988, she accepted a position with the Department of Physiology, Sydney University, though still retains a position with Endocrinology and Cancer Genetics at RNSH. 

Her research program has developed over many years in the fields of bone and skin.  The link between them is vitamin D, which is made in skin and is important in bone, but, as this research has discovered, important in skin for photoprotection as well.  The link between bone and skin is Vitamin D. In particular, her group’s studies in skin have shown that the active vitamin D hormone is synthesised locally by melanoma cells and causes their differentiation.  The group also showed for the first time that Vitamin D compounds formed in skin by the action of UV light contribute to endogenous photoprotection, including a reduction in DNA damage and UV-induced immunosuppression, through a reduction in nitric oxide products and an increase in p53 expression.

Professor Mason has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and on National Health and Medical Research Council Grant Review Panels for Endocrinology and Reproduction and Musculoskeletal diseases. She is a member of the Technical Committee of the Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (International Commission of Illumination) on Sunlight, Health and Vitamin D.  She serves on a committee updating Clinical Guidelines for melanoma prevention and management for the National Health and Medical Research Council. Professor Mason is Head of Physiology and acting Deputy Director of the Bosch Institute.  For the Faculty of Medicine, she serves as Associate Dean (Curriculum) and Chair of the University of Sydney Medical Program Committee.  She is a member of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research Institute, a Council member of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society and a Board member of Osteoporosis Australia.

Selected publications

  • Ma WJ, Ruys AJ, Mason RS, Martin PJ, Bendavid A, Liu Z, Ionescu M, Zreiqat H., DLC coatings: effects of physical and chemical properties on biological response. Biomaterials. 2007 Mar;28(9):1620-8. Epub 2006 Dec 29. PMID: 17196649
    IF 4.7 This study reported for the first time, that the hydrogen content of  diamond-like carbon coating markedly affected both protein adsorption and cell attachment. This will be important for optimal design of diamond-like carbon coatings, a promising technology for vascular stent applications.  The protein and cell attachment protocols were developed in my lab and partly carried out there.
  • Gupta R*, Dixon KM*, Deo SS, Holliday CJ, Slater M, Halliday GM, Reeve VE, Mason RS. Photoprotection by 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D is associated with an increase in p53 and a decrease in nitric oxide products. *joint first authors  J Invest Dermatol DOI: 10.1038/sj.jid.5700597 published online Dec 14, 2006.IF 4.4  Study shows for the first time that increased p53 expression and decreased nitric oxide products underpin photoprotection by Vitamin D compounds and provide a possible explanation.
  • Dixon KM, Deo SS, Wong G, Slater M, Norman AW, Bishop JE, Posner GH, Ishizuka S, Halliday GM, Reeve VE, Mason RS.  Skin cancer prevention:  A possible role of 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D2 and its analogs.  J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 97: 137-143, 2005.IF 2.9  First in vivo study showing photoprotective effect of vitamin D compounds, including protection from UV-induced immunosuppression.
  • Wong G, Gupta R, Dixon KM, Deo SS, Choong S, Halliday GM, Bishop JE, Ishizuka S, Norman AW, Posner GH, Mason RS. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D and three low calcemic analogs decrease UV-induced DNA damage via the rapid response pathway.  J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 89-90C:567-570, 2004.IF 2.9  First demonstration that vitamin D compounds protected skin from UV-induced DNA damage.
  • Slater M, Patava J, Kingham K, Mason RS.  Involvement of platelets in stimulating osteogenic activity.  J Orthop Res 13:655-663, 1995.IF 2.7; citations 56 Showed that growth factors from human platelets greatly stimulated anabolic activity of bone forming cells.  This report ultimately resulted in the development by a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson of a device for harvesting patient’s platelets and using them in bone graft operations.
  • Slater M, Patava J, Mason RS.  The role of chondroitin sulphate glycosaminoglycans in mineralising osteoblast-like cells: Effects of hormonal manipulation.  J Bone Min Res 9:161-169, 1994.  IF 5.4; citations 22 Showed direct anabolic effects of 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D in a new multilayered organotypic bone cell culture model.  Slater was PhD student under my supervision.
  • Pryke A M, Duggan C, White CP, Posen S, Mason RS.  Tumor necrosis factor-alpha induces vitamin D 1-hydroxylase activity in normal human alveolar macrophages.  J Cell Physiol 142:652-656, 1990.IF 5.2; citations 29 Showed for the first time that normal macrophages, when activated, could convert 25hydroxyvitamin D into the active hormone.  Now known to be important for resistance to infection and possibly anti-neoplastic activity. Pryke was  MSc student under my supervision.
  • Ranson M, Posen S, Mason RS.  Human melanocytes as a target tissue for hormones:  In vitro studies with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, a-melanocyte stimulating hormone and beta-estradiol.  J Invest Dermatol 91:593-598, 1988.IF 4.2; citations 56 This and an accompanying paper in melanoma cells showed the differentiating ability of 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D – now known to be important in the role of vitamin D as an anti-neoplastic agent.  Ranson was PhD student under my supervision.
  • Mason RS, Frankel TL, Chan YL, Lissner D, Posen S. Vitamin D conversion by sarcoid lymph node homogenate.  Ann Int Med 100: 59-61, 1984.IF 13.1; citations 150 This study showed for the first time that activated lymphoid tissue could produce 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D – and thus explain the hypercalcaemia which can occur in this disorder.  Extra-renal production of 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D is now known to be critical for infection responses and important in the role of vitamin D as an anti-neoplastic agent.
  • Mason RS, Lissner D, Grunstein H, Posen S.  A simplified assay for dihydroxylated vitamin D metabolites in human serum: Application to hyper- and hypovitaminosis D.  Clin Chem 26: 444-450, 1980.IF 6.5; citations 61 This publication indicated the clinical usefulness of 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays, rather than those of the active hormone – a point still being made today in physician training.