Research Outline

Cutaneous malignancies have been increasing in recent years, largely due to population aging and increased ultraviolet exposure. Among them, malignant melanoma is a tumor derived from melanocytes. In Japan, acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), which occurs on the hands and feet, is the most common subtype, whereas superficial spreading melanoma predominates in Western countries, reflecting marked differences in subtype distribution. ALM shows limited responsiveness to conventional chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors, making improvement of treatment outcomes an important challenge.
I established a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of ALM by transplanting patient tumor tissues into immunodeficient mice. This model faithfully recapitulates the characteristics of the original tumor and enables evaluation of tumor growth and drug responses under conditions that closely mimic the in vivo environment. Using this PDX model, I aim to elucidate the biological features of ALM and develop novel therapeutic strategies.