Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lacey, WA, has formed a research and development collaboration with Professor David Minter in the Department of Chemistry at Texas Christian University (TCU) for the development of a novel skin-lightening product derived from a medicinal plant. The mechanism of action of this skin-lightening product is based on the inhibition of tyrosinase, an enzyme responsible for the production of melanin, the skin’s natural pigment.