For melanoma, timing is everything. When caught early, this aggressive skin cancer is highly treatable; yet for too many, their diagnosis comes too late. Barriers like “dermatology deserts” in rural communities, workforce shortages, and gaps in public awareness put early detection — and lives — at risk. At the heart of the movement to change this is Dr. Sancy Leachman, Vice Chair of Faculty Engagement and Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah, whose mission blends innovation, education, and partnership to close these gaps and reshape the landscape of early detection and prevention.
“The kind of work I do is a slow, plotting, persistent, absolutely committed endeavor to catch every melanoma before it can kill somebody.”
-Dr. Sancy Leachman
MRA, the world’s largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, has been a driving force in this progress. Its support for pioneering leaders like Dr. Leachman has transformed the research landscape, delivering real solutions to people who might otherwise be left behind.
Vast swaths of rural America — so-called “derm deserts” — have limited or no access to dermatologists. Wait times stretch for months, and travel distances can be daunting, leading some to forgo care altogether. Workforce shortages compound the problem, with too few experts available to meet growing demand.
“People in rural areas are at a disadvantage,” Dr. Leachman notes. “You can’t just say ‘go see a dermatologist’ and expect everyone to have that option.” These realities underscore the need for scalable solutions, educational outreach, and technological innovation to even the playing field.
Machine learning and AI are no longer distant dreams, but active collaborators in the fight against melanoma.
As one of the nation’s foremost experts on prevention and early detection, Dr. Leachman leads the War on Melanoma, a groundbreaking public health initiative guided by the fundamental belief that “if you catch melanoma early, you save lives.”
Unlike traditional medical models, Dr. Leachman’s approach extends far beyond clinics and hospitals. She knows doctors alone can’t win this war. That’s why her team trains not only physicians but educates everyone from hairstylists to massage therapists — anyone who routinely works with people’s skin — on what melanoma looks like and how to guide clients toward medical evaluations. The program also provides community members with easy-to-understand resources and practical tools to recognize warning signs early. By teaching individuals how to spot suspicious moles and conduct skin self-exams, the program arms people with knowledge to protect themselves.
Recognizing that technology can inspire individuals, the program has also used tools like digital imaging apps and artificial intelligence to make skin monitoring more accessible and effective. Dr. Leachman wants to leverage technology to turn every smartphone into a tool for prevention. Apps like MoleMapper™ empower people to photograph, track, and compare moles over time, making it easier to notice changes that might otherwise go unchecked. “AI and digital imaging are really important because they put the power in the hands of the people,” says Dr. Leachman. These innovations can transform how and where melanoma is caught, especially for those far from specialty care.
At the intersection of medicine and technology, Dr. Leachman is charting new territory. Machine learning and AI are no longer distant dreams, but active collaborators in the fight against melanoma. With tools that analyze thousands of skin images in seconds, AI helps identify lesions that warrant closer inspection — especially useful in places where dermatologists are scarce.
Dr. Leachman's team educates everyone from hairstylists and nail technicians to massage therapists on what melanoma looks like and how to guide clients toward medical evaluations.
“AI gives us the ability to triage and prioritize who most needs an expert’s attention and who can safely wait,” Dr. Leachman observes. By putting world-class diagnostics within reach — even virtually — AI and video consultations with dermatologists shrink the distance between patients and lifesaving expertise, regardless of where they live. As these digital tools are integrated into programs like the War on Melanoma, an initiative launched in Oregon, they are reshaping what early detection can look like, accelerating diagnosis, and paving the way toward prevention on a scale never before possible.
The War on Melanoma initiative is a statewide public health effort and has yielded promising results. Surveys conducted before and after its melanoma literacy campaign revealed marked improvements in public confidence in conducting skin checks. Training of licensed skin-care professionals who perform cosmetic treatments at places such as spas and salons showed a 35% increase in the number of professionals who reported feeling very comfortable suggesting their client see a doctor for a suspicious lesion. As even one blistering sunburn prior to adulthood is estimated to double lifetime melanoma risk, Dr. Leachman’s team also tested the ability of the War on Melanoma’s multimedia high-school curriculum to improve knowledge, attitudes, and confidence toward melanoma primary prevention and early detection behaviors. Notably, there was a 37.1, 32.1, and 21.6 percentage point increase respectively in confidence in students conducting self-skin checks, encouraging loved ones to get skin exams, and knowing when to seek provider skin evaluation pre-test versus post-test. Dr. Leachman envisions this model as a blueprint that can be expanded nationally and internationally, emphasizing how education and innovation go hand-in-hand in reducing melanoma mortality.
Dr. Leachman’s vision goes beyond detection to include personalizing care. By using genetic testing and risk stratification, she works to identify those most likely to develop melanoma — and to provide targeted prevention messages and surveillance. Through research, she’s helping build better ways to uncover risk and intervene earlier.
None of this progress would be possible without committed organizations like the MRA championing innovation with flexible, swift funding. “MRA is really focused on getting treatments out to patients as fast as possible, and everything they do is really about that — whether it’s putting together a business collaboration, or a collaboration between a team of scientists that never would have worked together otherwise, or bringing together people from different disciplines at an amazing one-of-a-kind meeting alongside patients,” says Dr. Leachman. “Every single aspect of what they do is all directed towards the vision of getting better treatment and prevention out to the people that deserve to have better.”
“Every single aspect of what [MRA does] is all directed towards the vision of getting better treatment and prevention out to the people that deserve to have better.”
- Dr. Sancy Leachman
With a history of supporting prevention, diagnostics, and care, MRA’s role as a convener and catalyst is also global. Its investments — spanning 165 institutions in 19 countries — push advancements across continents, ensuring best practices, new technologies, and life-saving breakthroughs are shared far and wide. The MRA has invested over $175 million to date, supporting breakthroughs in melanoma prevention, diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment.
The journey toward ending melanoma’s deadly toll is far from over, but with people like Dr. Sancy Leachman on the front lines, hope is stronger than ever. Her work shows that by harnessing the power of community, technology, and research, we can bridge gaps caused by geography and resources. By empowering people everywhere to detect, diagnose, and prevent melanoma, we’re building a future in which no one’s fate depends on where they live or whether they can find a dermatologist nearby.
By harnessing the power of community, technology, and research, we can bridge gaps caused by geography and resources.
Melanoma care has experienced remarkable changes in recent years, propelled by teamwork across specialties, breakthrough science, and a dedication to advancing patient outcomes. The old, predictable order of treatment — where patients would first see a surgeon, and only later a medical oncologist for systemic therapy — has become a flexible, patient-centered model shaped by the coordinated expertise of dermatologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation specialists.
“More than ever, a patient’s journey is multidisciplinary,” says Dr. Charles Kaufman, Associate Professor at Washington University School of Medicine, Division of Oncology. “When it’s working right, we all communicate — dermatology, surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology — to make a plan.” This collaborative mindset ensures that each patient’s treatment plan is tailored, informed by broad expertise, and capable of adapting to changes in the field.
Dr. Charlotte Ariyan, Physician-Scientist and Co-leader of the Melanoma Disease Management Team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says that today, neoadjuvant therapies — treatments given before surgery — are playing an increasingly important role. “Now patients often start with medical oncology for systemic therapies and then have surgery, instead of the other way around,” she adds. “These approaches can shrink tumors, allow for less extensive surgical procedures, and may improve patient outcomes.”
“More than ever, a patient’s journey is multidisciplinary.”
- Dr. Charles Kaufman
For patients, the treatment journey often begins in the dermatologist’s office with a suspicious mole. But what unfolds next is a testament to how far melanoma care has come. Patients benefit not only from better therapies, but also from more open communication and shared decision-making between providers.
Teams now integrate new findings rapidly, adapting strategies as research emerges. Medical oncologists and surgeons meet regularly to discuss patient cases, ensuring timing and treatment selections are truly individualized. This shift to a more dynamic and team-based approach also means that dermatologists remain involved long after diagnosis, monitoring and supporting patients through the entire treatment process, often helping manage side effects of new therapies. The role of dermatologists as ongoing caregivers highlights how important it is to address the full spectrum of patient needs, including monitoring for potential recurrence or new melanomas.
“These multi-institution projects allow clinicians and researchers to ask new questions and work towards answers that might be out of reach in traditional, single-institution studies.”
- Dr. CharLotte Ariyan
This collaborative spirit is especially vital as complex cases are becoming more common. Neoadjuvant therapies, less invasive surgical techniques, and new immunotherapies have shifted many of the conversations and decisions to the team setting. “With melanoma, the knowledge and experience of all disciplines is important to getting the best outcome for the patient,” notes Dr. Kaufman.
Researchers like Dr. Ariyan and Dr. Kaufman are central to this revolution in care. Their work, fueled by MRA, shapes not only the standard of practice but also the direction of future research.
Dr. Ariyan’s projects focus on unique and challenging aspects of melanoma treatment — including rare subtypes such as acral melanoma (skin cancer that develops on non-sun-exposed areas of the body such as the palms, soles, and under the nails) or unusual patterns of recurrence. Dr. Ariyan explains that research on acral melanoma is important because it is an understudied form of melanoma, and not as responsive to our current therapies, despite having some of the same tumor genomics as cutaneous melanoma. With MRA support, she has helped establish consortia that collect and study rare melanoma patient samples from across the country. “These multi-institution projects allow clinicians and researchers to ask new questions and work towards answers that might be out of reach in traditional, single-institution studies,” she says.
For example, Dr. Ariyan and colleagues at Duke University are studying in-transit melanoma — a form of recurrence that occurs in about 5-10% of patients with primary cutaneous melanoma where the cancer spreads through lymphatic vessels from the primary tumor to nodules on the skin or in the soft tissue, but before it reaches the nearest lymph node basin. This pattern of metastasis was historically difficult to study due to its rarity but now, with MRA’s help, they have built one of the largest clinical datasets of in-transit melanoma patients, providing a foundation for new insights and potential therapies. “This gives us a powerful clinical set, with matched tissue to answer questions for us, and for the greater melanoma community,” says Dr. Ariyan. She adds the team hopes to use that to look at patients who are resistant to current therapies, whether after immune therapy or targeted therapy, and what’s going on so they can find a way to reverse that resistance as well.
“The MRA has the capacity to fund practice-changing ideas ... to rapidly pivot to what’s important and what the next questions are.”
- Dr. Charlotte Ariyan
Meanwhile, Dr. Kaufman takes a “bench to bedside” approach, delving into the biological diversity within melanoma tumors to better understand why some respond to treatment while others do not. “We’ve known for a long time that even within a single melanoma tumor, the cells within it vary a lot in what genes they turn on and off,” he points out. This phenomenon — known as tumor heterogeneity — is a major reason why some cancer cells survive treatment and come back stronger.
Supported by a MRA Young Investigator Award, Dr. Kaufman explored how tumor cells’ gene expression changes over time. “When you’re starting out, it’s hard to have a lot of preliminary data to get people convinced to support you,” he reflects. “MRA is an amazing supporter of young investigators with promising ideas. Following these seeds of ideas is what ultimately leads to medical breakthroughs.” By identifying pathways that drive resistance, his work may open doors to using existing FDA-approved drugs in new ways for melanoma patients.
Both experts agree that MRA’s impact goes far beyond grants — it’s about building a true community. “The MRA has the capacity to fund practice-changing ideas,” says Dr. Ariyan. “They also have the capacity to rapidly pivot to what’s important and what the next questions are.” MRA’s annual Scientific Retreat and gatherings bring researchers, clinicians, and advocates together to exchange ideas and spark collaboration. “I get [the MRA Retreat] on my calendar a year in advance,” says Dr. Kaufman. “Not only do you see the research that’s being funded, but you also see the community that it has grown.”
MRA’s flexibility has allowed it to address rare forms of melanoma and rapidly evolving questions — needs that may not always fit the funding priorities of other organizations. “Bigger foundations are not as interested in rare cohorts. The MRA is uniquely fundamental in allowing us to ask really important questions, even if it’s a niche area of melanoma,” Dr. Ariyan emphasizes.
Perhaps the biggest change in cutaneous melanoma care is the sense of community — among specialists, with patients, and through advocacy organizations. Readers of this report are part of this progress — funders, patients, families, advocates, clinicians, and researchers — and the shared mission is clear: to build on breakthroughs, harmonize research around the most challenging questions, and ensure the most advanced care reaches every patient who needs it. Dr. Ariyan notes, “The MRA is a godsend for research, for interactions, and for allowing us to expand beyond what we would normally think is in our lane.”
"The ability of MRA to bridge basic science, clinical research, and pharmaceutical partnerships across many institutions is what continues to push the entire field forward.”
- Dr. Charles Kaufman
New therapies mean patients live longer, but more treatments for patients with drug resistance and rare subtypes are still needed. Thanks to the integration of innovation and teamwork, patients with melanoma have more options than ever before — but more work is still needed to ensure every person benefits from recent advances.
Dr. Kaufman advocates for the continued backing of foundational science: “Basic science work — what we call the most fundamental building blocks of biology — sometimes takes a while to get from there to a treatment. The MRA has always been willing to support that kind of work because the return on investment might not be seen for a longer period but can end up being very important.” He points to key milestones — like the development of immunotherapy — rooted in years of basic research, supported initially by MRA.
Dr. Ariyan adds, “The ability of MRA to bridge basic science, clinical research, and pharmaceutical partnerships across many institutions is what continues to push the entire field forward.”
As long as this spirit of collaboration and curiosity thrives, the future for patients with melanoma — and their families — promises continued progress, innovation, and hope.
Melanoma has long been at the forefront of innovation in cancer treatment, paving the way for breakthroughs in immunotherapy and targeted therapies. However, despite remarkable progress achieved in recent years, challenges remain. For many patients, existing therapies are not enough. Next-generation cellular therapies—which focus on improving the patient’s own immune response against cancer—are now emerging as powerful tools to close this gap. These cutting-edge approaches offer new hope for patients with advanced or treatment-resistant melanoma, redefining what’s possible in the fight against this aggressive cancer.
Helping drive advancements in this field are Dr. Roda Amaria, Director of Clinical Research for the Melanoma Medical Oncology Group at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. Cristina Puig Saus, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) and the Department of Surgery - Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The two researchers are leading the charge in cellular therapy development. Their work, alongside the MRA’s relentless support for new therapies, exemplifies the collective effort that is driving progress and saving lives.
“Our goal is to make TIL therapy even safer, smarter, and more effective for patients.”
- Dr. Roda Amaria
Few therapies embody the promise of next-generation cellular innovation more than tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, which takes T-cells (white blood cells responsible for recognizing and destroying cancerous cells) directly from a patient’s tumor, amplifies their cancer-fighting potential in the lab, and reintroduces them to the body to attack the melanoma. Many cancer cell therapies are directed at a specific cancer target or targets. In contrast, autologous TIL cell therapy is designed to deploy billions of personalized, patient-specific TIL cells to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Dr. Roda Amaria is at the forefront of this field. “Our goal is to make TIL therapy safer, smarter, and more effective for patients,” Dr. Amaria explains. Recently, the FDA approval of Iovance Biotherapeutics’ lifileucel, a TIL therapy product branded as Amtagvi, marked a historic milestone. Based on a Phase II study showing that 31.4% of treated patients benefited significantly, Amtagvi now offers a viable treatment option for many patients who previously had no other therapeutic avenues.
The power of next-generation TIL therapy lies not just in its ability to improve patient outcomes but also in making these therapies more accessible and inclusive.
While this development is groundbreaking, Dr. Amaria sees room for improvement. “There are hurdles we need to overcome,” she says. Traditional TIL therapy requires surgery to harvest tumor samples, seven days of non-myeloablative chemotherapy to prepare the body, and a short course of interleukin-2 (IL-2), which has some challenges. New research, including work presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting by Obsidian Therapeutics and research on next-generation TIL therapy by Iovance, could reshape the landscape of TIL therapy. Employing genetic modifications, Dr. Amaria and her collaborators are exploring how TIL cells can be primed to function more effectively with fewer side effects. For example, Obsidian’s OBX-115 cells are equipped with an “on-off” switch activated by a simple pill. This allows clinicians to regulate treatment, delivering exceptional potency while mitigating toxicity. “It’s a potential game-changer for safety and efficacy,” says Dr. Amaria.
Iovance is also conducting a first-in-human trial at ten U.S. clinical trial sites of IOV-4001, a next generation TIL with PD-1 inactivation technology which has the potential to significantly improve the already impressive TIL clinical profile.
The power of next-generation TIL therapy lies not just in its ability to improve patient outcomes but also in making these therapies more accessible and inclusive. By incorporating advancements like genetic engineering and less invasive biopsy methods, researchers are working to bring hope to a broader pool of melanoma patients, even those with advanced age or coexisting conditions.
While TIL therapy builds upon naturally occurring immune responses, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy takes a different route. In this approach, custom-designed immune cells target melanoma with a precision akin to a laser-guided missile. It’s a truly personalized form of medicine, and at the forefront of this research is Dr. Cristina Puig Saus.
Dr. Puig Saus envisions CAR-T therapy as the future for patients whose tumors are resistant to other treatments. “Our CAR-T therapy is specifically tailored to melanoma biology,” she explains. By creating synthetic receptors that recognize proteins uniquely overexpressed by melanoma cells, her lab has developed a therapy that is finely tuned to destroy cancer without harming healthy tissues.
“Thanks to MRA, we’re able to connect with experts in different fields, fostering ideas we couldn’t achieve alone.”
- Dr. Cristina Puig Saus
One of the most exciting prospects of CAR-T therapy is its adaptability. Unlike conventional treatments that target one biological pathway, CAR-T therapy can evolve alongside emerging tumor challenges. For example, Dr. Puig Saus’ work also aims to expand CAR-T therapy to rare and aggressive melanoma subtypes, such as uveal, mucosal, and acral melanomas, which are often less responsive to traditional therapies.
However, translating CAR-T therapy to the clinic is far from simple. Dr. Puig Saus highlights funding as the greatest barrier to scaling this therapy. Despite securing FDA support for clinical trials, financial resources to move the therapy from research to treatment remain limited. “We have the science,” she says, “but without funding, it stops there.”
CAR-T therapy’s potential to transform melanoma care is immense, provided the necessary investment and collaboration are in place to carry it forward. MRA continues to fund research projects focused on developing and advancing therapies for patients with melanoma, including CAR-T.
Central to all this progress is MRA, which plays a pivotal role as both a funder and community builder. By investing time and support in groundbreaking projects, MRA helps accelerate therapies from the lab to the clinic. Their support ensures that innovative ideas — like genetically enhanced TIL or CAR-T cells — have the runway to mature into life-saving treatments.
MRA’s impact extends beyond research funding. One of its most essential contributions is building a collaborative ecosystem where researchers, clinicians, and advocates work together toward shared goals. “Collaboration is everything,” says Dr. Puig Saus. “Thanks to MRA, we’re able to connect with experts in different fields, fostering ideas we couldn’t achieve alone.”
Equally important to MRA is the patient voice. MRA’s annual Scientific Retreat and initiatives like the RARE Registry enable patients to share their stories and participate as stakeholders in the quest to improve melanoma outcomes. “It’s inspiring to see the passion of the melanoma community,” says Dr. Amaria.
The fight against melanoma demands relentless perseverance, scientific ingenuity, and united action. Researchers like Dr. Amaria and Dr. Puig Saus exemplify what’s possible when innovation and collaboration come together. From genetically enhanced TIL therapy offering life-saving possibilities to CAR-T therapy redefining personalized care, next-generation cellular therapies are reshaping the melanoma treatment landscape.
MRA’s unwavering support and the collective effort of the research and melanoma communities continue to push boundaries. While challenges remain, these innovative approaches promise a future where no patient faces the devastating impact of melanoma without options — or hope.
