EXCITING NEWS
MNC funding Critical Research for Acral Melanoma
In spite of some exciting advances in treatment, melanoma remains a deadly disease. mRNA translation is the biological process that makes proteins, the workhorses of the cell. Mnk1/2 and eIF4E are proteins that coordinately regulate mRNA translation. In melanoma, mRNA translation can become faulty, causing a selective increase in proteins that promote tumor progression. The labs of Dr. Wilson H. Miller, Jr. and Dr. Sonia del Rincon (Department of Oncology – McGill University), are working together to develop therapies targeting faulty mRNA translation in melanoma. Their strategy is to block the activity of Mnk1/2 proteins, which they have shown are critical for the survival of acral melanoma (published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation).
The MNC will help fund their research to test the idea that Mnk1/2 inhibitors can be combined with other therapies to block melanoma progression. Their PhD student Saythen Prahbu (Division of Experimental Medicine – McGill University) will work on this clinically relevant project.
“We realize that the generosity of the MNC in funding our research is made possible through donor funds, and we are humbled to receive such support”
Our team is dedicated to bringing the patient voice to our research, and we often reach out to the MNC for their review of our research project summaries. Moreover, as a Quebec Regional Representative for the MNC, I am happy to volunteer my time to ensure that patients and their families have access to important MNC publications, such as the booklet Melanoma-What you need to know”, Sonia del Rincon, Ph.D.
Research team from Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology Research at McGill University, Lady Davis Institute-Jewish General Hospital, Segal Cancer Centre.
