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Updated: May 27, 2026

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
[Issues around melanoma]
1Het Nederlands Kanker Instituut-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Ziekenhuis, Divisie Immunologie, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. j.haanen@nki.nl
Over the past 30 years little progress has been made in the treatment of patients with a metastatic melanoma. Recently there have been two new developments. One of these is ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the function of the protein cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) which inhibits activated T lymphocytes. This gives the immune system a chance to build up an immune response to the melanoma. The other development is vemurafenib, a small molecule that inhibits a mutated protein (BRAF) that occurs in many melanomas. The BRAF mutation leads to uninhibited proliferation.
Over the past 30 years little progress has been made in the treatment of patients with a metastatic melanoma. Recently there have been two new developments. One of these is ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the function of the protein cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) which inhibits activated T lymphocytes. This gives the immune system a chance to build up an immune response to the melanoma. The other development is vemurafenib, a small molecule that inhibits a mutated protein (BRAF) that occurs in many melanomas. The BRAF mutation leads to uninhibited proliferation.
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