When Astrophysics & Melanoma Collide
By Cody R. Barnett, MRA Director of Communications | 16 November 2018 In Science
Using lessons, processes, and tools from the field of astrophysics, Dr. Taube is studying melanoma in all new ways.
Improving the Lives of Melanoma Survivors
By Cody R. Barnett, MRA Director of Communications | 15 October 2018 In Prevention, Science
Melanoma survivors are at a 9-fold increased risk of developing another melanoma. Unfortunately, 20% of survivors reported a sunburn in the past year and 10% intentionally went outside for a tan – both strong predictors of inappropriate sun exposure.
Older Patients Do Better on Immunotherapy
By Cody R. Barnett, MRA Director of Communications | 8 October 2018 In Science, Treatment
In Dr. Weeraratna's study, older patients did better on immunotherapy than younger patients. This surprising result is the opposite of what was expected.
For Kimberly, Clinical Trials Were a Leap of Faith
1 October 2018 In Melanoma Stories
Kimberly was just 19-years-old when she noticed the black “freckle” on her foot. But it wasn’t until she was 22-years-old and pregnant with her first child that her “freckle” became a cause for concern.
Ipilimumab Cured Dan Engel He’s Committed to Paying it Forward
By Cody R. Barnett, MRA Director of Communications | 24 September 2018 In Melanoma Stories
Dan needed a miracle. At this point, he’d had six surgeries on his neck, endured radiation therapy, and been enrolled in five clinical trials. Dan’s miracle came in 2006 in the form of an experimental drug, ipilimumab or anti-CTLA4 antibody, that would later be named Yervoy. This drug would later become the first new FDA-approved melanoma treatment in 13 years.
Right Place, Right Time, Right Trial
10 September 2018 In Melanoma Stories, Treatment
Jonathan is cancer free because he was in the right place at the right time to be enrolled in a clinical trial. Read his story.
Are you #SunSavvy365?
By Cody R. Barnett, MRA Director of Communications | 4 September 2018 In Allies & Partnerships, Prevention
It’s easy to think of sunscreen when you are lounging by a pool, but did you know that it’s important to protect yourself and those you love every day of the year? That’s why MRA partnered with the Melanoma Action Coalition to create #SunSavvy365, a social media campaign that reminds us to protect our skin whether we are making sand castles or snowmen.
Using Zebrafish to Shed New Light on Melanoma
By Cody R. Barnett, MRA Director of Communications | 29 August 2018 In Science
Dr. Liz Patton, a MRA-funded cancer researcher at the Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, is fascinated by learning how things work. Patton has focused her research on better understanding how melanocytes – the cells in our skin that provide us our coloring – develop, divide, migrate, and in some unfortunate circumstances, proliferate uncontrollably turning into melanoma. Her work is providing critical insight into the origin of melanoma and what spurs melanoma to spread throughout the body.
Barriers to Safety: The Push for Sunscreen Access in Schools
By Charles Brodine, MRA Intern | 17 August 2018 In Prevention
Why are there laws against having sunscreen in school in over half of U.S. states? All it takes is one sunburn during childhood to doublethe risk of melanoma in adulthood. And yet, as of July 2018, only 16 states have passed laws that allow kids to have sunscreen in school. This is a serious problem with a common-sense solution, so what’s the hold up?
Maintaining the Pace of Melanoma Innovation in the Era of an Evolving Standard of Care
By Louise M. Perkins, Ph.D., MRA Chief Science Officer | 10 August 2018 In Science, Treatment
There is no doubt that treatments for metastatic melanoma have changed dramatically in the decade since MRA’s founding in 2007. How do we keep up the momentum?