Category: Science
MRA Announces $13 Million in Grants to Advance Melanoma Prevention, Detection & Treatment
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 19 May 2022 In News, Prevention, Science, Treatment
Coinciding with Melanoma Awareness Month, the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, today announced funding for 27 research grants totaling $13,046,774 to support new research aimed at advancing melanoma prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
What You Control: Your Microbiome, Diet, Stress, & Melanoma
14 April 2022 In Science
Every day, we hear from patients who want to know what, if anything, they can do to have the best health outcomes possible. For people facing melanoma, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and out of control with everything that a melanoma diagnosis and treatment entail.
Averting and Treating Immune-related Adverse Events Associated with Checkpoint Immunotherapies
2 April 2022 In Science, Treatment
The first ever immune checkpoint inhibitor was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011 with an indication for treating metastatic melanoma. That approval was built upon ground-breaking research by Jim Allison, MRA Scientific Advisory Panel member and 2018 Nobel Laureate.
Unlocking the Potential of Localized Treatments By Better Understanding Treatment Response
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 23 March 2022 In News, Science, Treatment
It’s easy to think of melanoma – or any cancer – in black and white terms. You have it or you don’t, it responds or it’s resistant to treatment, or it grows or it shrinks. However, like most things, the reality is far more complex.
MRA Applauds Approval of Relatlimab + Nivolumab for the Treatment of Advanced Melanoma
18 March 2022 In News, Science, Treatment
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) welcomed the news today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Opdualag™, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s new combination immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
Recordings from MRA's 2022 Patient Forum
16 March 2022 In Allies & Partnerships, Events, Melanoma Stories, News, Policy, Prevention, Science, Treatment
MRA’s Melanoma Exchange Patient Forum, held in-person in Washington DC and virtually on March 9, 2022, brought together hundreds of melanoma patients, survivors, advocates, and their loved ones to provide lay-friendly, state-of-the-science education, promote collaboration, and provided networking opportunities across the melanoma community.
From Promise to Action: Testing AI in the Clinic
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 8 March 2022 In Prevention, Science
If you browse through your phone’s app store, you’ll find dozens of apps promising to help determine if a mole you’ve been staring at is cancerous or not based on the power of AI. While a great goal, none of these apps have earned approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, to do so, apps — and the algorithms that they rely on — will need to be rigorously tested in the real world and across diverse populations. This is exactly where Dr. Novoa’s research is aimed.
Preventing Melanoma Among Hispanic Americans
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 22 February 2022 In Melanoma Stories, Prevention, Science
Dr. Costello’s online platform aims to teach participants about the risk factors for melanoma, what it looks like, and how they can screen themselves for concerning lesions. Costello’s program launched in February, 2022; and he hopes to get 30,000 people to participate in the 40-minute curriculum by the end of May 2022.
New Research Says Combination Immunotherapy Should be First-Line Therapy for Patients with BRAF-mutant Melanoma
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 2 February 2022 In News, Science, Treatment
While all patients with advanced melanoma can be treated with checkpoint immunotherapies, patients with tumors containing the BRAF mutation can also be treated with targeted therapies. However, until now, doctors have had little prospective data to determine which treatment approach should be started first. A new study led by Dr. Michael Atkins provides practice-changing insight.
Melanoma Mortality Rate Continues Decline Fueled by Treatment Advances
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 26 January 2022 In News, Prevention, Science, Treatment
Each January, the American Cancer Society (ACS) releases updated estimates about trends in new cancer cases and deaths in its annual report, Cancer Facts and Figures. This report highlights the estimated incidence (number of new cases), prevalence (number of people alive today with a history of cancer), and survival statistics for cancer in the United States.