Source: UCI Health, June 2025
Irvine, Calif., June 26, 2025 — Researchers at the University of California, Irvine exploring the genesis of melanoma have identified a cell type in animal and human models that can initiate tumors in the absence of other genetic mutations.
These cells, which resemble neural crest stem cells, were found to be present in human and mouse melanomas, as well as in normal skin, the researchers report in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications. Single-cell transcriptomics and advanced bioinformatics approaches revealed that these cells could act as “precursors of malignant cells,” a finding that has significant implications for developing strategies to detect melanoma early or even prevent melanoma from forming.