Can they keep the anti-BRAF drugs working longer? ——————- http://www.cancercommons.org/…/melanoma-treatment-2014-eme…/
Finally, there are some hopeful developments for melanoma patients whose tumors have mutations in the BRAF protein (as detected by molecular testing). A recent study published in the scientific journal Nature determined that the mutant BRAF protein relies on copper for its cancer-promoting activity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved drugs that lower levels of copper in the body to treat a metabolic disorder known as Wilson disease. (Wilson disease is a genetically based inability to filter out and get rid of excess copper.) In a remarkable example of a quick transition from basic science to clinical investigation, Duke University (where the original research was performed) has opened a clinical trial that will test if lowering copper levels with an FDA-approved drug trientine may improve outcomes for patients taking the drug vemurafenib to treat their melanomas.
