A team of scientists from the Broad Institute, Cambridge, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, led by Matthew L. Meyerson, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘95-‘98) and Todd R. Golub, MD (Innovation Award Committee Member, Board Member) sequenced the whole genomes of 25 metastatic melanoma tumors. Analysis of these sequences indicated that the rates of genetic mutation rose along with chronic sun exposure in patients. As expected, the scientists detected known mutations in genes that regulate cell growth. In addition, they also identified mutations in a gene called PREX2 in 44 percent of patients. The study was published in the journal Nature.
