News
Highlights from the 2019 Scientific Retreat
30 May 2019 In Allies & Partnerships, Events, Melanoma Stories, News, Prevention, Science, Treatment
Over the course of three days, MRA convened over 300 people from across the melanoma research community: patients, doctors, researchers, industry, and government. Participants discussed everything from new treatment approaches such as RNA-based vaccines, strategies to fight back against treatment resistance, and hurdles to testing neo-adjuvant therapies in melanoma.
Clinical Trials to Watch: Turning Cold Tumors Hot
By Kristen Mueller, PhD | 15 May 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?
Police Lieutenant Tackles Melanoma in Phoenix
13 May 2019 In Melanoma Stories, Prevention
After being diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma, Chris Eyrich is committed to raising awareness about melanoma. He works to raise awareness of the unique occupational hazards faced by people who work primarily outdoors, such as police officers and other public servants.
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.