SIRT6 and melanoma growth and spread
Official title: Role of sirtuin 6 in melanoma development and progression
Funded at Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp · NIH-11489894 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are seeing if blocking a protein called SIRT6 can help stop melanoma from growing and spreading in people with melanoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2021 |
| Project end | September 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01CX002210-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11489894 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with melanoma, especially those with advanced or treatment-resistant disease, would be the eventual candidates for therapies developed from this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with unrelated cancers or those seeking immediate clinical treatment should not expect direct benefit because most work is preclinical and done in the lab and animals.
What this research studies
This work focuses on a protein called SIRT6 that lab and animal experiments suggest helps melanoma cells grow. Scientists will use cell studies and animal models to learn how SIRT6 drives tumor growth and resistance to current therapies. They will test small molecules that block SIRT6 and study links with other cancer pathways like NOTCH1 and autophagy. The goal is to find new treatment strategies that could later be tested in people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new drug targets that slow melanoma growth or overcome treatment resistance.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical lab and animal data suggest SIRT6 promotes melanoma and that blocking it can slow tumor growth, but benefits in human patients have not yet been shown.
Where this research is happening
-
Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ahmad, Nihal — Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp
- Study coordinator: Ahmad, Nihal
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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.