Skin Cancer

LSP researchers study melanoma to understand the mechanisms driving disease development, therapeutic response, and resistance, with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, with melanoma being the most aggressive subtype. Although melanoma accounts for a small percentage of all skin cancer cases, it is responsible for most skin cancer-related deaths.

LSP investigators partner with Boston area clinicians — dermatopathologists, oncologists, and surgeons — to understand three subtypes of melanoma: 1) cutaneous melanoma, the most common form; 2) acral melanoma, a rare subtype that predominantly affects individuals with darker skin tones and is often diagnosed late; and 3) mucosal melanoma, a rare and aggressive subtype that occurs in mucous membranes, such as those of the mouth, airways, and gut.

Our research uses multi-modal tissue profiling methods, including 2D and 3D imaging and spatial transcriptomics to characterize the tumor-immune microenvironment of melanoma. A major effort has focused on melanoma precancers, demonstrating that immunosuppression is present in early melanoma precancers and highlighting the diversity of both tumor and immune cell states in primary melanoma tumors. These studies reveal novel features of the tumor microenvironment that can inform prognostic or predictive biomarkers. In the long term, we aim to improve melanoma diagnosis and risk stratification, so that patient care can be tailored to an individual's risk of disease progression.  

LSP investigators also examine the mechanisms that contribute to melanoma’s resistance to various therapies. Through studies using cell lines and human tissues, our research has shed light on the reversible, non-genetic adaptations that allow some melanoma cells to survive targeted therapies. These efforts have revealed factors that contribute to drug resistance and suggest new potential therapeutic strategies to overcome it.