Melanoma Cells News and Research

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Highly personalized approach may help immune cells to eliminate melanoma

With new immunotherapy treatments for melanoma, recovery rates have risen dramatically, in some cases to around 50%.

12 Sep 2018

Natural plant compound exploits newly identified Achilles' heel in uveal melanoma

A natural plant compound exploits a newly identified Achilles' heel in a cancer of the eye, uveal melanoma. In human cancer cells growing in the lab, the compound shuts down the overactive signaling that drives uveal melanoma cell growth, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

6 Sep 2018

Researchers discover natural plant compound that shuts down uveal melanoma cell growth

A natural plant compound exploits a newly identified Achilles' heel in a cancer of the eye, uveal melanoma.

6 Sep 2018

Cancer cells release biological 'drones' to assist in the fight against immune system

Cancer cells are more than a lump of cells growing out of control; they participate in active combat with the immune system for their own survival. Being able to evade the immune system is a hallmark of cancer.

9 Aug 2018

Novartis' new drug combination receives positive CHMP opinion for treating stage III BRAF mutant melanoma

Novartis today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Tafinlar® in combination with Mekinist® for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation, following complete resection.

27 Jul 2018

Scientists identify melanoma biomarkers that could help tailor immunotherapy treatments

Scientists at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center have identified biomarkers in melanoma that could help tailor immunotherapy treatments to maximize the benefits for patients while reducing the likelihood of severe side effects.

19 Jul 2018

Cilia appears to play key role in formation of melanoma

Most cells in the human body have a cilium, a slender cell protuberance that picks up signals from the cell's external environment.

2 Jul 2018

Researchers uncover new therapeutic opportunity in the treatment of malignant melanoma

A team of researchers led by Dr Pierre Close, WELBIO researcher at the ULiège GIGA Institute and Dr Francesca Rapino has uncovered a new therapeutic opportunity in the treatment of malignant melanoma that acquired resistance to targeted therapies.

21 Jun 2018

New technique aims to expand understanding of mechanical forces existing between cells

A new technique that uses tiny elastic balls filled with fluorescent nanoparticles aims to expand the understanding of the mechanical forces that exist between cells, researchers report.

14 May 2018

New therapeutic strategy exploits acquired vulnerability in drug-resistant cancer

Cancer cells that develop resistance to drugs, pay a price for this, by simultaneously developing a new vulnerability. If this acquired vulnerability can be identified, it may be exploited clinically.

10 May 2018

Direct contact with lymphatic endothelial cells promotes melanoma metastasis

Despite the declining death rates for many individual cancer types, mortality for a few cancers has stabilized or even increased. One of these is melanoma due to its ability, in later stages, to spread to other parts of the body.

2 May 2018

Researchers target telomerase for killing NRAS-mutant melanoma cells

Targeting telomerase was effective at killing NRAS-mutant melanoma cells, and the impact was further enhanced when the strategy was paired with an inhibitor of mitochondrial function, according to study results by The Wistar Institute published in Oncogene.

26 Apr 2018

MD Anderson research provides insight into memory T cell development and disease relapse

Just like people, some T cells have excellent memories. These subtypes known as memory T cells may explain why some immunotherapies are more effective than others and potentially lead to researchers designing more effective studies using combination checkpoint blockade treatments, according to experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

16 Apr 2018

UCLA scientists identify four subtypes of melanoma with different drug sensitivities

Melanoma, a relatively rare but deadly skin cancer, has been shown to switch differentiation states - that is, to regress to an earlier stage of development - which can lead it to become resistant to treatment.

12 Apr 2018

Researchers create new compound that appears to activate cancer-fighting T cells

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are powerful weapons our body's immune systems count on to fight infection and combat diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and lupus. Finding ways to spark these potent cells into action could lead to more effective cancer treatments and vaccines.

2 Apr 2018

Targeting aberrantly active telomerase to treat therapy-resistant melanoma

A study conducted at The Wistar Institute in collaboration with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has demonstrated the efficacy of targeting aberrantly active telomerase to treat therapy-resistant melanoma.

21 Mar 2018

Continuous tracking of melanoma cell invasion helps scientists explain key regulators of metastasis

A team of Italian scientists reported this week that blocking the interaction between urokinase receptor (uPAR) and formyl peptide receptor type 1 (FPR1) suppresses the ability of melanoma cells to migrate, invade through an extracellular matrix, and to burrow through a layer of endothelial cells.

13 Mar 2018

Researchers report potential new role for skin bacteria in protecting against cancer

Science continues to peel away layers of the skin microbiome to reveal its protective properties. In a study published in Science Advances on February 28, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report a potential new role for some bacteria on the skin: protecting against cancer.

1 Mar 2018

Specific bacteria in the intestines can improve response rate to cancer immunotherapy

In the Jan. 5, 2018 issue of Science, researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine show that specific strains of commensal bacteria – the swarms of microorganisms naturally dwelling in the intestines – can improve the response rate to immunotherapy for patients being treated for advanced melanoma.

5 Jan 2018

Researchers discover genetic mechanism for resistance to immunotherapy drugs

An urgent question for cancer scientists is why immunotherapy achieves dramatic results in some cases but doesn't help most patients.