Study identifies key regulator of melanoma development
Source: Vanderbilt University medical center , June 2023
Vanderbilt investigators have revealed the mechanisms by which the chemokine receptor CXCR2, is associated with melanoma tumor formation and growth — a discovery that supports the continued development of drugs that inhibit the receptor’s activity.
Ann Richmond, PhD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Biology and professor of Pharmacology, is internationally known for her research on chemokines and was the first to demonstrate that a chemokine can regulate tumor growth.
“Chemokines produced by tumor cells are known to attract certain suppressive immune cell populations into the tumor microenvironment, where they can help prevent an antitumor immune response and allow the tumor to grow unchecked,” said Richmond, the study’s senior author.