Proposals for Melanoma Research

Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) aims to end suffering and death due to melanoma by collaborating with all stakeholders to accelerate powerful research, advance cures for all patients, and prevent more melanomas. 

MRA solicits proposals that address the gap in translational science (i.e., turning scientific discoveries into tools and/or treatments for high-risk individuals and patients with melanoma). Successful proposals can potentially apply important basic and preclinical discoveries to the near-term development of clinical trials and studies impacting melanoma detection, prevention, diagnosis, and/or treatment.

Proposals for clinical studies testing well-defined and articulated hypotheses are welcome and should be accompanied by a brief protocol synopsis and timeline with milestones. Institutional review board approval is not required at the time of application but before initial payments are made.

For the 2024-25 cycle, MRA seeks proposals in the following areas: advancing neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapies for melanoma, including biomarker-based and personalized treatment approaches. (e.g., developing sensitive and reproducible blood-based or tumor-based biomarkers to predict and monitor response/resistance); understanding melanoma brain metastasis and leptomeningeal disease and identifying new treatment options; identifying new treatment strategies for rare melanoma subtypes, including acral, mucosal, uveal, or pediatric melanomas, particularly focusing on validated targets shown to be molecularly altered in these sub-types (e.g., NF1, CRKL, NRAS, KIT, YAP1, GNAQ, GNA11) and advancing non-T cell-based immunotherapy approaches (i.e., B cells, NK cells, macrophages, etc.) and other approaches examining the tumor microenvironment (i.e. stromal cells, fibroblasts, and other non-immune cells).

At the October 21, 2024, deadline, eligibility checklists are due for the following grant programs:

Young Investigator Award: Grants of up to $85,000 per year for up to three years (up to $255,000 total) will be awarded to early-career faculty to support innovative and original, preclinical, translational, and/or early clinical research projects. Applicants must be within the first five years of their first academic faculty appointment at the application deadline. A mentorship commitment from a senior investigator is required.

Dermatology Career Development Award: Grants of up to $75,000 per year for two years (up to $150,000 total) will be awarded in support of research projects (including epidemiological data gaps), practice changing demonstration projects, and/or immersive studies aimed at improving melanoma prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and/or staging. In pursuit of this goal, MRA welcomes proposals with immediate real-world implications for public health, prevention, and/or clinical practice. MRA also encourages the application of artificial intelligence (AI) across any of these areas, especially to reduce variable biopsy-referral and/or diagnostic standards. Applicants must have a doctoral degree (MD, DO and/or PhD) by the date of award activation.

Applicant eligibility checklists are due October 21, 2024, and upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, due November 4, 2024. Multiple applications will be accepted from a single institution, provided that each application has a different PI and represents a distinct hypothesis.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Melanoma Research Alliance website.