Indian wins grant to study deadly skin cancer

Indian wins grant to study deadly skin cancer

IANSUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 09:13 PM IST
article-image

New York: An Indian-origin researcher in the US has won a $150,000 grant to study genes linked to the deadly melanoma skin cancer, a media report said. Anurag Singh, an assistant professor of pharmacology and medicine at Boston University, won the grant from the Melanoma Research Alliance to study as to why some forms of melanoma with a mutated gene called NRAS, do not respond to targeted treatment, the BU Today of the Boston University reported on Monday.

“The RAS mutation itself is not sufficient to cause a full-blown tumour,” Singh was quoted as saying. “It creates a vulnerable state that can progress to a malignant state.”

Singh’s lab studies how two forms of the RAS gene, NRAS and KRAS, interact and cooperate with other genes to form gene networks, analogous to computer circuits. The RAS mutations prevalent in melanoma also appear in pancreatic and colon cancer. Singh has already discovered that melanomas with NRAS mutations come in at least two different flavours.

“We have identified two major types of NRAS networks in melanoma,” he said. “We hypothesise that these subtypes can be treated with selective targeted anti-cancer agents or precision medicines. We hope to pinpoint vulnerabilities that can be blocked with chemotherapy,” Singh added.

Although melanoma is one of the least common types, representing only about two percent of skin cancer cases, it is one of the most deadly. Melanoma is so aggressive that doctors measure the tumour depth under a microscope — the variance of a fraction of one mm may make the difference between survival and death.

RECENT STORIES

Does Ethylene Oxide Allegedly Found In MDH & Everest Really Cause Cancer? Here's What We Know

Does Ethylene Oxide Allegedly Found In MDH & Everest Really Cause Cancer? Here's What We Know

Getting Ready For Voting Amid Heat Wave: Medical Team At Every Polling Stn, Doc In Every Sector

Getting Ready For Voting Amid Heat Wave: Medical Team At Every Polling Stn, Doc In Every Sector

FPJ Exclusive: 'This Surgery Can Completely Cure Diabetes,' Says Dr Surendra Ugale

FPJ Exclusive: 'This Surgery Can Completely Cure Diabetes,' Says Dr Surendra Ugale

How to Treat Constipation With Homeopathy

How to Treat Constipation With Homeopathy

Explore The Benefits Of Consuming Kokum

Explore The Benefits Of Consuming Kokum