Our physicians strive to improve patient outcomes through projects that span the spectrum between basic, translational, and clinical research. Our doctors work closely with scientists, with the hope of using our basic and translational research findings to improve the treatments and the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced skin cancers.

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• Melanoma
• Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers, Including Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Treatment options for patients with melanoma have rapidly expanded in recent years, with some of the biggest advances coming in the development of new immunotherapies. Despite this promise, many patients with advanced melanoma do not respond to the medications that are currently available. As a result, one of our primary translational research goals is to better understand how melanomas develop resistance to these types of agents. We believe that a fundamental understanding of these mechanisms will lead to the identification of novel immunotherapy strategies as well as the discovery of biomarkers capable of improving the management of patients with advanced melanoma.

With this goal in mind, we use pre-clinical models as well as clinical tissue specimens to investigate these questions and to develop novel immunotherapy approaches for patients with melanomas that have been refractory (resistant) to standard treatment. This work includes projects to identify pharmacological targets capable of enhancing the activity of and overcoming resistance to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. This initiative also extends to the identification of useful markers capable of predicting which patients are more likely to respond to current immunotherapy options as well as those patients more likely to develop immunotherapy-associated side effects. 

DCI scientists are also working in the lab to develop therapies that stimulate immune responses that target and kill melanoma cells by releasing tumor antigens and activating immune cells that infiltrate the tumor. To achieve these goals, basic research scientists and clinical investigators within the program collaborate closely to generate a clinically meaningful impact on patients with advanced skin cancer.

For more information on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, visit:

• The Hanks Lab investigates mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance and toxicity while striving to translate these findings into the clinic. 
• The Nair Lab designs and tests novel vaccines against cancer and viral infections using murine and human assay systems.