Precision therapies to overcome melanoma drug resistance
Official title: Functional precision approaches to overcome intrinsic and acquired drug resistance in melanoma
Funded at Wistar Institute · NIH-11397806 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large research effort is using patient tumor samples and animal-like models to find targeted treatments that help melanomas stop resisting therapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wistar Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2017 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $293,880 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA224070-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397806 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with melanoma whose tumors show resistance to current therapies or whose tumors can be modeled in PDX/organoid systems could benefit from forthcoming targeted approaches.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not fit the studied profiles or do not respond to the identified combinations may not experience benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Wistar Institute are using a vast collection of clinically annotated melanoma models to study how tumors resist current treatments. They plan to test genomic- and protein-level profiles alongside drug responses in organoids and patient-derived xenografts to identify combinations that work better and predict which tumors will respond. The goal is to develop clinically translatable precision therapies that offset resistance while limiting toxicity. This work will help prioritize which targeted agents should move toward clinical testing in melanoma patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more effective, personalized treatments for melanoma patients who fail standard therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work with PDX and organoid models in melanoma has shown that personalized combinations can improve responses in some cases.
Where this research is happening
-
Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Villanueva, Jessie — Wistar Institute
- Study coordinator: Villanueva, Jessie
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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.