Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery by discovering the missing genetic ingredient that helps melanoma cells become effectively immortal. The breakthrough could open the door to new treatments aimed at disrupting one of cancer’s most important survival strategies.
Scientists have uncovered the hidden genetic trick that helps melanoma cells cheat death, revealing a promising new target for fighting skin cancer. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a crucial missing piece in the long standing mystery of how melanoma tumors avoid death and continue growing.
Writing this week in Science, Jonathan Alder, Ph.D., and colleagues describe a combination of genetic changes that allows melanoma cells to dramatically extend their lifespan while fueling rapid tumor growth. The discovery could reshape how researchers understand melanoma and may point to new treatment strategies. “We did something that was, in essence, obvious based on previous basic research and connected back to something that is happening in patients,” said Alder, assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at Pitt’s School of Medicine.
Source: ScienceDaily.com
