The MRF is pleased to announce its 2014 melanoma research grant awardees! The 2014 research grant program reflected significant changes in the way the MRF funds research and, as a result, an extraordinarily comprehensive and diverse collection of grants were funded. This is the MRF’s 17th year of funding research, and the newly awarded grants will support 22 scientists and six medical students across 17 different institutions. This year, the MRF (thanks to the leadership of the MRF’s Scientific Advisory Committee and MRFBC) added a funding category for Team Awards. This means in addition to the MRF’s traditional grants (Established Investigator, Career Development and Medical Student awards), the organization is now providing up to $250,000 a year for two years to a team addressing a critical area representing an unmet need: Prevention, Rare Forms of Melanoma, Metastases, Brain Metastases, Response to Treatment and Resistance.

 

The 2014 awards include research in BRAF mutant, mucosal, acral and wild-type cutaneous melanoma as well as ocular melanoma. Funded proposals reflect progress in understanding the different molecular fingerprints of ocular versus cutaneous melanoma, and that cutaneous melanoma is not a single cancer but comprised of multiple molecular subtypes.