STAR-MBM: Strategy to Target Acquired Resistance in Melanoma Brain Metastases
Melanoma is a malignant skin cancer whose incidence has increased sharply in recent years. Many affected individuals develop brain metastases during the course of their disease, which often cannot be adequately treated with existing therapies. Molecular alterations and mechanisms underlying the therapy resistance of melanoma brain metastases are still insufficiently understood.
This is exactly the point where the interdisciplinary STAR-MBM collaborative project starts with the goal to lay the foundations for the treatment of BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) resistant melanoma brain metastases using MET inhibitors. The bioinformatics STAR-MBM sub-project, implemented at the IMB, is responsible for analyzing single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data of melanoma brain metastases to identify genes, signaling pathways, cell types, and spatial cell patterns that distinguish BRAFi-resistant metastases from non-resistant metastases. In addition, gene regulatory networks are learned based on the measured molecular omics data and used for network flow analyses to determine which genes most likely control the development of BRAFi resistance and how these genes interact with the resistance-associated MET-mediated gene regulatory program. Thus, the bioinformatics STAR-MBM sub-project makes an essential contribution to the development of future treatment strategies that aim to overcome BRAFi therapy resistance.
Involved scientists from IMB
- PD Dr. Michael Seifert (STAR-MBM Co-Coordinator)
- Dr. Luca Penso Dolfin
Cooperation partners
- Dr. Torben Redmer (Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, STAR-MBM Coordinator)
- Prof. Dr. Josefine Radke (Pathology, University Medicine Greifswald)
- Prof. Dr. Frits Thorsen (Biomedicine, University of Bergen)
- Prof. Dr. Balázs Győrffy (Bioinformatics, Semmelweis University Budapest)
Funding
- European Partnership for Personalized Medicine (EP PerMed PGxPM2025), 04/2026 – 03/2029
Further information
- Joining forces across Europe against brain metastases: https://nachrichten.idw-online.de/2026/07/03/europaweit-gemeinsam-gegen-hirnmetastasen
- Personalized Cancer Medicine: Kick-off for the FWF- and EU-funded project STAR-MBM:https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/universitaet/infoservice/presseinformationen/presse/personalisierte-krebs-medizin-startschuss-fuer-das-fwf-und-eu-gefoerderte-projekt-star-mbm