MRA Meet Ups: Acral Melanoma Research Update

MRA was recently joined by Boris Bastian, MD, PhD of the University of California, San Francisco, for the latest installment of our online series, MRA Meet-Ups, where we regularly connect with the melanoma community to discuss important topics, share insights and experiences, and ask questions. Dr. Bastian is a dermatologist and dermatopathologist with expertise in diagnosing and treating patients with cutaneous neoplasms. With a focus in molecular cancer genetics and molecular pathology, he leads a research laboratory at UCSF. The session, "Acral Melanoma Research Update", moderated by MRA's CEO Dr. Marc Hurlbert, explored Dr. Bastian's research on different types of melanomas and their genetic mutations, with a focus on acral melanoma and other rare subtypes.

Topics discussed included:

• Mechanisms of melanoma mutations and genomic alterations in acral and mucosal melanomas, and the importance of understanding them.
• The various challenges in treating acral and mucosal melanomas.
• The response of acral and mucosal melanomas to immunotherapies like checkpoint inhibitors, and the potential for targeted therapies.
• Ongoing efforts to identify vulnerabilities in acral and mucosal melanoma cells that could be exploited for therapeutic purposes.
• The use of AI and machine learning in analyzing genomic sequencing data.
• And more!

Watch the full recording:

‍Join our community and share your story. Your story — the story of your health, of your history, of your experiences — holds power: the power to inform, the power to connect, and the power to drive research forward for rare melanoma subtypes. Learn more about MRA’s RARE Registry at RAREMelanoma.org.