Melanoma Cells’ Transition from Benign to Malignant Mapped, and Reversed, in Yale Lab

Source: Melanoma News Today, March 2016

The mechanism by which benign melanoma cells change into malignant ones is greatly affected by the cells’ stiffness, as determined by the specific balance of two signaling pathways — which, in turn, can be affected by a genetic deletion, according to Yale University researchers. Their study, titled “Directed migration of cancer cells guided by the graded texture of the underlying matrix” and published in Nature Materials, also suggested a way of reversing this invasive change and a possible new diagnostic test for malignant melanoma.

Melanoma cells can transition from a benign state of radial growth to a malignant state characterized by vertical patterns of growth, but the mechanisms behind that transition have eluded researchers.