New Approaches to Melanoma Treatment: Checkpoint Inhibition with Novel Targeted Therapy

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, largely due to its propensity for recurrence and metastasis, even after removal of malignant tissue. When melanoma reaches advanced stages, the disease becomes refractory to many types of therapy, which has created a need for novel therapeutic strategies to combat the disease. Our group focuses on the oncogenic function of a neuronal receptor, metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1). When mGluR1 is aberrantly expressed in melanocytes, elevated levels of extracellular glutamate mediate the constitutive activation of the receptor to promote cell proliferation. We are exploring the potential synergistic efficacy when combining a glutamatergic signaling inhibitor with a checkpoint inhibitor antibody.