Press & Other Articles
Press Releases
2018
WASHINGTON -- The Ocular Melanoma Foundation (OMF), in collaboration with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), announced at the 2018 AACR Annual Meeting in Chicago the recipient of the $150,000 AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Career Development Award. The award was funded by OMF with support from the Kammerman Family of Binghamton, New York.
Read the full release here.
Read the full release here.
2016
NEW YORK -- Delcath Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCTH), an interventional oncology Company focused on the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancers, announces that five new clinical trial sites in the U.S. have been activated in the Company's global FOCUS Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with hepatic dominant ocular melanoma (the FOCUS Trial). These accredited centers join several other prestigious centers as active participants in the FOCUS Trial. Currently, Delcath now has a total of 8 cancer centers in the U.S. open for patient enrollment in the FOCUS Trial.
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Read the full release here.
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Read the full release here.
September 20, 2016
THE RARE CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION & THE OCULAR MELANOMA FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE FIVE UVEAL MELANOMA CELL LINES ARE NOW BROADLY AVAILABLE
THE RARE CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION & THE OCULAR MELANOMA FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE FIVE UVEAL MELANOMA CELL LINES ARE NOW BROADLY AVAILABLE
Washington, DC - The Rare Cancer Research Foundation (RCRF) and the Ocular Melanoma Foundation (OMF) have partnered to create a panel of well-characterized and universally available uveal melanoma cell lines in order to advance global research on ocular melanoma, a rare and potentially fatal form of cancer. RCRF and OMF secured five uveal melanoma cell lines from the Institut Curie in Paris for accessioning into ATCC, the world’s largest non-profit cell-line repository based in Manassas, Virginia.
Uveal Melanoma (UM) is the most common primary tumor of the eye in adults. These five UM cell lines were established from either patient’s tumors or patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). They represent the molecular landscape of the disease in terms of genetic alterations and mutations. All the cell lines display GNAQ or GNA11 activating mutations, and importantly three of them display BAP1 (BRCA1 associated protein-1) deficiency, a hallmark of aggressive disease with higher morbidity. Each is “immortalâ€, having the ability to replicate indefinitely. Immortal cell lines are a foundation of research infrastructure and as models are fundamental for the study of cellular pathways, essential for the understanding of the resistance/sensitivity patterns of existing therapies and critical for the development of new anticancer drugs.
Four of the five cell lines - known as MP38, MP41, MP46, MP65 - are now available at ATCC with the fifth, MM28, becoming available at the end of September. All are available to the global research community including researchers in academia and government, as well as private industry.
Looking ahead, the RCRF and OMF are building incentive structures and streamlined submission and verification processes to drive further collaboration and availability of other cell lines and research models. Both organizations are grateful to Shelby and Chris Carroll for their fundraising efforts which enabled the cell line panel acquisition and will assist with future model creation.
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Learn more about RCRF at www.rarecancer.org​.
Uveal Melanoma (UM) is the most common primary tumor of the eye in adults. These five UM cell lines were established from either patient’s tumors or patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). They represent the molecular landscape of the disease in terms of genetic alterations and mutations. All the cell lines display GNAQ or GNA11 activating mutations, and importantly three of them display BAP1 (BRCA1 associated protein-1) deficiency, a hallmark of aggressive disease with higher morbidity. Each is “immortalâ€, having the ability to replicate indefinitely. Immortal cell lines are a foundation of research infrastructure and as models are fundamental for the study of cellular pathways, essential for the understanding of the resistance/sensitivity patterns of existing therapies and critical for the development of new anticancer drugs.
Four of the five cell lines - known as MP38, MP41, MP46, MP65 - are now available at ATCC with the fifth, MM28, becoming available at the end of September. All are available to the global research community including researchers in academia and government, as well as private industry.
Looking ahead, the RCRF and OMF are building incentive structures and streamlined submission and verification processes to drive further collaboration and availability of other cell lines and research models. Both organizations are grateful to Shelby and Chris Carroll for their fundraising efforts which enabled the cell line panel acquisition and will assist with future model creation.
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Learn more about RCRF at www.rarecancer.org​.
2015
De La Terre Skincare is proud to announce a new partnership with the Ocular Melanoma Foundation (OMF). The goal of this new affiliation is to bring more awareness to the supportive benefits of De La Terre Skincare products for cancer patients, while raising money to support the investment in the mission and vision of OMF.
Visit the De La Terre Skincare® section of OMF's website to learn more and to purchase products.
Visit the De La Terre Skincare® section of OMF's website to learn more and to purchase products.
2014
The Ocular Melanoma Foundation (OMF) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) are pleased to announce that the first annual Junior Investigator Award (JIA) made under a new partnership between the two organizations has been awarded to Alexander N. Shoushtari, M.D. of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A Fellow in the medical oncology department, Dr. Shoushtari's research focuses on "Overcoming Resistance to MEK Inhibition in Advanced Uveal Melanoma." MEK inhibitors, including Selumetinib and FDA-approved Trametinib, have shown early promise in the systemic treatment of BRAF-mutated melanomas and Dr. Shoushtari's work is critical in better understanding the drug's potential efficacy for eye melanomas.
The grant will be formally presented at the 2014 AACR Annual Meeting, held April 5-9, in San Diego, CA. The fellowship will provide Dr. Shoushtari with $50,000 over a one-year term, beginning on July 1, 2014.
The grant will be formally presented at the 2014 AACR Annual Meeting, held April 5-9, in San Diego, CA. The fellowship will provide Dr. Shoushtari with $50,000 over a one-year term, beginning on July 1, 2014.
2013
For this year’s OMF retreat in Philadelphia, 140 people came from 21 states and several countries, including a participant who made the trip from Australia. Many more followed the retreat through live streaming on the OMF website. Those attending came to hear from top researchers about recent progress, to learn and share information with each other, and to gain the support of others who would understand. As one attendee put it: “This disease is not a death sentence. There is some hope, and there is nothing like talking to someone who knows exactly how you feel, who has the same fears and worries [and] goes through the same level of emotions.â€
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Ocular Melanoma Foundation (OMF) are pleased to announce a new partnership to provide a grant opportunity for researchers focused on ocular melanoma, a rare cancer of the eye that is diagnosed in approximately 2,000 adults in the United States each year.
The AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Fellowship represents a joint effort to encourage and support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow to conduct ocular/uveal melanoma research and to establish a successful career path in ophthalmology, ocular oncology, uveal melanoma cancer biology, or a similar field.
The AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Fellowship represents a joint effort to encourage and support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow to conduct ocular/uveal melanoma research and to establish a successful career path in ophthalmology, ocular oncology, uveal melanoma cancer biology, or a similar field.
Notable Articles on Ocular Melanoma
September 11, 2011
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