Overcoming drug resistance in skin cancer

Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer, killing over 2,200 people each year in the UK and over 9,000 in the US. It is estimated that around 90% of melanoma cases can be prevented because the primary cause is over exposure to UV rays from the sun. Melanoma becomes deadly late on in the disease once it has spread to vital organs, so stopping this from happening is key to preventing melanoma related deaths.

Around 60% of all melanomas carry a genetic mutation to a gene called “B-Raf” and drugs that target this mutation show a lot of success in the clinic. However, many patients go on to develop resistance to this class of drugs known as BRAF inhibitors. Dr Bin Zheng is working out how this resistance occurs to find ways to overcome it.