Grant: Project Grant

More men develop melanoma than women. Once male patients have melanoma, they have a worse prognosis than female patients. In the past, this has been attributed to differences in behaviour. However, evidence now clearly points to biological sex differences being responsible for this phenomenon. Furthermore, reports are emerging that male and female patients have different drug responses to the latest melanoma therapies. The cause of this is unknown. Our group recently identified a gene that is preferentially mutated in male melanoma patients. We believe mutations in this gene may explain some of the observed differences in patient outcome between sexes. In this study, we will work to better understand how this gene works and what effect it has in mediating response to therapy. Our research will provide a better understanding of the differences in the biology of melanomas between male and female patients, which will have important implications for future drug development.