Media Advisory: Melanoma Research Foundation Takes Steps to Conquer Melanoma

Oct. 29, 2009 - PRLog -- HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. —On Tuesday the Melanoma Research Foundation will be hosting a live teleconference announcing an exciting new initiative designed to bring us closer to curing melanoma.  This groundbreaking consortium brings together members of the research community and pharma to accelerate the need for new lifesaving treatments.  

What:   The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) will announce a new and innovative collaboration, to facilitate research and clinical trials that have been nearly impossible to conduct up to this point.  The initiative will include the research community, the patient community, and pharmaceutical companies, and will address the growing recognition that melanoma may be most successfully treated with combination therapies.  

Why:   Melanoma patients have not had a new treatment approved in more than a decade that’s meaningfully improved survival.  For patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma, few options exist, and survival is typically only one year from diagnosis.  The research community has essentially “hit a wall” and recognizes the need to take a novel approach to facilitating the kind of research that will yield better treatment options for patients.  

Who:   Speakers will include:
•   Randy Lomax, MA, MFT, chairman of the board, Melanoma Research Foundation
•   Tim Turnham, PhD, executive director, Melanoma Research Foundation
•   Jenna Bockmiller, melanoma patient
•   Lynn Schuchter, MD, co-chair, Melanoma Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board
•   Keith Flaherty, MD, member of the Melanoma Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board
•   Meenhard Herlyn, DVM, DSc, co-chair, Melanoma Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board

When:   Tuesday, November 3, 2009
   10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET)

Where:    The announcement will be conducted online via teleconference.  For log-in details, please contact Berna Diehl at Berna@JonesPA.com or 202-591-4045.

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The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent, national organization devoted to melanoma in the United States. MRF is committed to supporting medical research, patient and physician education and advocating for the melanoma community.