Making melanoma immortal: Pitt scientists discover key genetic step in cancer’s race to live forever

Making melanoma immortal: Pitt scientists discover key genetic step in cancer’s race to live forever
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered the missing puzzle piece in the mystery of how melanoma tumors control their mortality.

In a paper published in Science this week, Jonathan Alder, Ph.D. and his team describe how they discovered the perfect combination of genetic alterations that tumors use to promote explosive growth and prevent their own demise, a development that could change the way oncologists understand and treat melanoma.