New treatments and biomarker tests for melanoma
Official title: Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11181034 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Testing immunotherapy combinations and new biomarker tests to better treat people with advanced or metastatic melanoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2006 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,741,032 |
| NIH project number | 5P50CA121974-18 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181034 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with advanced or metastatic melanoma—including some who have not yet received PD‑1 checkpoint inhibitors—are the most likely candidates to participate.
✕Less likely to help
People with early-stage melanoma cured by surgery, non-melanoma skin cancers, or those unable to travel to Yale or undergo biopsies or experimental treatments are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this program.
What this research studies
The Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer brings together clinicians and laboratory teams to create new drug combinations and lab tests aimed at treating melanoma that has spread. The program focuses on boosting PD‑1 immune checkpoint drugs by also targeting other parts of the immune system and on developing predictive biomarkers to help choose the best therapy for each person. Work combines laboratory studies, animal models, single‑cell tumor profiling, digital pathology, and clinical translation at Yale to move promising approaches into patient care. The overall goal is to increase long‑term survival and reduce deaths from advanced melanoma.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to more effective immunotherapy combinations and tests that match patients to treatments most likely to help, potentially increasing long‑term survival.
How similar studies have gone: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have already improved survival in melanoma and prior combination and biomarker studies show promise, though many specific approaches in this program are novel and still being tested.
Where this research is happening
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Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bosenberg, Marcus W — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Bosenberg, Marcus W
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.