BRAF: From Gene to Cancer Therapy (video)

In this film, clinical researcher Ultan McDermott tells the story of how scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute discovered a specific mutation in the BRAF gene, which is found in around half of malignant melanoma cases. He describes how this has enabled scientists to develop a new drug that specifically targets cancer cells with this mutation, with dramatic effects on the disease.

Ultan describes how cancers develop due to mutations in the DNA in our cells. When this occurs in cells in our skin, called melanocytes, it can lead to a cancer called malignant melanoma. If identified early, melanoma is relatively simple to remove surgically but advanced melanoma is much more difficult to treat. The development of new targeted treatments has the potential to dramatically increase survival rates for malignant melanoma and other cancers.