Skin cancer detection breakthrough
Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and is the leading cause of death from skin disease. Rates are steadily increasing, and although risk increases with age, melanoma is now frequently seen in young people. But what if we could pinpoint when seemingly innocuous skin pigment cells mutate into melanoma? Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have achieved this. Teams led by Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Medicine Yujiang Geno Shi, from BWH’s Department of Medicine, and George F. Murphy, from BWH’s Department of Pathology, have discovered a new biomarker for the lethal disease. The findings offer novel opportunities for skin cancer diagnostics, treatment, and prevention. The study will be published on Sept. 14 in Cell. “Dr. Shi and colleagues have discovered an exciting new connection between the loss of a specific chemical mark in the genome and the development of melanoma,” said Anthony Carter, of the National...