Beating the clock: Melanoma starts evading treatment within hours — here’s how to stop it
Source: ScienceDaily, March 2025
Researchers have uncovered a stealth survival strategy that melanoma cells use to evade targeted therapy, offering a promising new approach to improving treatment outcomes.
The study, published in Cell Systems and conducted by researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) identifies a non-genetic, reversible adaptation mechanism that allows melanoma cells to survive treatment with BRAF inhibitors. By identifying and blocking this early response, researchers proposed a combination therapy that could delay resistance and enhance the effectiveness of existing treatments.
Cracking the Code of Melanoma’s Drug Escape
Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is often driven by mutations in the BRAF gene, which fuels uncontrolled tumor growth. While BRAF inhibitors (such as vemurafenib) initially halt tumor growth, many tumors quickly adapt and survive treatment, leading to therapy failure.