BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Better call Delilah

Cutting SAMMSON strands to weaken melanoma

May 5, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), once confined to the pile of non-functional genomic "junk," are now recognized to play key roles in gene regulation, and are increasingly being explored in various cancers. A Belgian group has identified a new lncRNA, dubbed SAMMSON, that is up-regulated specifically in melanoma, and has shown that neutralizing the transcripts with antisense strategies can stem tumor growth in xenograft mouse models of the disease.

The group also believes the strong link between SAMMSON and multiple different types of melanomas could provide a diagnostic tool that is more predictive and less invasive than the biopsies commonly used...