Scientists find molecular switch that allows melanoma to resist therapy
Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 12:01
in Health & Medicine
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that as many as one in 51 men and women will be diagnosed with melanomathe deadliest form of skin cancerat some point during their lifetimes. A research team led by Ze'ev Ronai, Ph.D. at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) is working to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of this disease in hopes of improving prevention and treatment strategies. To do this, Ronai's laboratory has been studying a protein named Activating Transcription Factor 2 (ATF2), which is associated with poor prognosis in melanoma.