Melanoma

A new test has been developed to assess the likelihood of an early-stage melanoma either spreading or recurring. The test measures levels of several proteins in a biopsy, helping doctors assess which patients require more frequent follow-ups.

Using AI to spot melanoma in its early stages is an exciting possibility, and a new deep-learning system developed by Harvard and MIT scientists promises a new level of sophistication, by using a method known as the “ugly duckling” criteria.

In a promising new study, scientists have demonstrated how fecal transplants can alter the microbiome to make advanced melanoma sufferers, who have not responded to immunotherapy in the past, more responsive to these treatments.

New research is outlining the long-term efficacy of a novel type of cancer vaccine. The research followed eight skin cancer patients and found the experimental treatment offers durable and persistent immune responses to cancer cells up to four years later.

A new study has shown that an experimental class of cancer drugs has wider potential than previously thought. Researchers have found a new type of BET inhibitor that, in mouse tests, can target solid tumors more effectively and safely than others.

In preclinical tests, scientists at Wistar Institute have developed a molecule that disrupts a protein complex vital to cancer cell survival.

A nano-vaccine is showing promising results in treating skin cancer in mouse models. The vaccine encases two new cancer drugs inside a nanoparticle, with initial experiments revealing it can stimulate the immune system to kill melanoma, and act as a preventative vaccine.

A team of scientists from Israel report compelling new insights into how the metastatic spread of melanoma is assisted by nearby fat cells. The research does not suggest obesity enhances the metastatic potential of skin cancers but it does point to new drugs that can stop the spread of melanoma.

CAR-T cell therapy involves reprogramming T-cells to hunt down cancer, which has been effective against blood cancers but not so much against solid tumors. Now, scientists at MIT have found a way to supercharge the technique with a vaccine booster.

A team of researchers has developed a non-invasive tool which not only detects circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream, but can blast them away at the same time. Dubbed the Cytophone, it employs a laser which heats the CTCs, subsequently detecting them via ultrasound.

Researchers at MIT have combined two experimental cancer drugs, protein kinase inhibitors and ribonuclease drugs, and found that they worked better together than alone. The discovery could help reduce side effects of cancer treatments and make them more effective.

Scorpions, rattlesnakes and funnel-web spiders have all provided scientists with promising building blocks for next-generation medicines, and a dangerous Australian arachnid has again reared its head with a compound in its venom found to be a potent killer of melanoma cells.