MELGEN · MELanoma GENetics - understanding and biomarking the genetic and immunological determinants of melanoma survival

MELanoma GENetics - understanding and biomarking the genetic and immunological determinants of melanoma survival

The MELGEN Early Training Network (ETN) and Consortium was designed as an environment for long-term, collaborative, cancer genetics research with the ultimate aim of improving precision (personalised) medicine. MELGEN has worked primarily to understand survival from melanoma skin cancer and response to therapies using a variety of cutting-edge scientific techniques with a focus on genetics and immunity. A smaller complementary proportion of the work of the consortium was designed to identify previously unrecognised inherited genes which when mutated cause families to be at increased risk of melanoma. MELGEN’s work on tumours is focused on determining which genes are mutated (changed) or “expressed” differently in melanomas removed from patients who survived and those who did not. The genetic make-up of a cancer largely determines how the cancer cells behave and finding the genes which are altered tells us something important about that behaviour and what can be done to modify how the cell behaves leading to better hope of cure. By combining approaches MELGEN has led to better understanding of the biology of melanoma allowing researchers to explore potential new treatment options. The tumour work has increased understanding of the key role that immune responses to melanoma are strong determinants of outcome and response to therapy, and progress was made in measuring responses which it is hoped will develop over time into clinically useful biomarkers. An important role for vitamin D/vitamin D receptor signalling in melanoma progression was established and the harmful effect of smoking in terms of melanoma survival. In order to improve the survival of melanoma patients with advanced disease we have to learn how better to select therapies for patients. A key MELGEN aim was to identify characteristics of the patient and his/her cancer which predict response to a drug. This is often called personalized medicine, and tests which allow medical teams to advise the patient about what treatment is likely to be best for them are called predictive biomarkers. Groups in Leeds, Zurich and Essen are working towards the discovery of such predictive biomarkers and high impact papers were published from Essen and Zurich in this field giving insights into how immune responses to melanoma develop giving rise to hopes of tests to allow personalized medicine.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз