News
Research is Hope: MRA Announces $8.2 Million for New Grant Awards to Advance Melanoma Research
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 30 April 2019 In News, Science
In advance of Melanoma Awareness Month, the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, today announced funding for 33 innovative research awards totaling $8.26 million.
Building Community While Raising More than $10 Million for Melanoma
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 15 April 2019 In Allies & Partnerships, Events
Leveraged Finance Fights Melanoma has become an annual event that brings over 1,000 people together from the leveraged finance and private equity community. Cofounder Brendan Dillon shares his own journey with melanoma.
Melanoma Vaccines Show Promise
14 April 2019 In Science, Treatment
While immunotherapy has transformed way melanoma is treated, about half of patients still do not respond. Researchers are pursuing multiple strategies to understand why this happens and to develop strategies to jumpstart a response. One approach showing promise in early clinical trials, comes in the form of new personalized vaccines being developed by Ugur Sahin of Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and BioNTech.
What’s Next for the Microbiome in Melanoma?
By Kristen Mueller, PhD | 11 April 2019 In Science, Treatment
We know that the billions of bacteria that live in our bodies can impact the way we respond to immunotherapy, but can we harness this help more patients respond these life-saving drugs?
This Engineer is Building a ‘Better’ Biopsy
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 20 March 2019 In Science
Biopsies are an important tool to determine if a mole or other lesion is cancerous. For most patients, the occasional biopsy is no big deal. However for patients facing multiple abnormal or otherwise ‘suspicious’ spots in highly visible places the prospect can be daunting. Dr. Jesse Wilson, an MRA-funded investigator, is an engineer on a mission to build a better biopsy.
Bronze Bodies and Black Lungs: Five Ways the Tanning and Tobacco Industries Use the Same Playbook
17 March 2019 In Prevention, Science
Dr. Alan Blum has crusaded against the tobacco industry for 30 years and now he's taking aim at the tanning industry. According to Blum, both the tobacco and tanning industries exploit people in similar ways, by targeting youth, downplaying their own corporate responsibility, infiltrating pop-culture, and indeed, by becoming prolific icons.
Is it Working? Imaging the Immune Response in Melanoma
14 March 2019
Traditional imaging – such as MRIs or CAT scans – provide insight into the effectiveness of immunotherapy by measuring tumor size. While this works, some patients may take months to respond to immunotherapy and in other cases, tumors may appear to actually grow on these scans, falsely indicating progression.
How Jaqueline’s Promise and Persistence Paid Off
5 March 2019 In Melanoma Stories
Melanoma wasn't supposed to happen to Jacqueline. Melanoma was supposed to be a disease that older, white women got, not 21-year-old African Americans. "People often think having more melanin makes them from developing melanoma. But they’re wrong,” Jacqueline says.
Fight Back Give Back with Clinical Trials
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 24 February 2019 In News, Science
When patients understand all of their options, including clinical trials, they can make informed decisions about their care. For many patients, clinical trials represent the best possible way to get access to cutting-edge treatment options.
Overcoming Targeted Therapy Resistance
By Marc Hurlbert, PhD, MRA Chief Executive Officer | 22 February 2019 In Science, Treatment
Targeted therapies work well for many patients, but most will go on to develop acquired resistance. Researchers are working to address this challenge. Learn about two promising examples.