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Our Research

Our laboratory studies Merkel cell carcinoma, an often lethal skin cancer, with the ultimate goal of discovering new approaches to treat this disease.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma is usually caused in part by an extremely common (typically harmless) virus that was discovered in 2008, the Merkel cell polyomavirus. Another very important cause is extensive exposure to sunlight, possibly many years earlier, and this cancer typically presents in Caucasians with a relatively light skin tone. About 80% of MCC cases are caused by the virus, with the remaining 20% being caused by very extensive damage by the sun in the United States. People who have significant, prolonged suppression of their immune system are at high risk of MCC, but over 90% of MCC patients have no known problem with their immune system.

We have created a website that focuses specifically on Merkel cell carcinoma. For more information about the disease please visit: www.merkelcell.org

UV-induced DNA damage

One hour of sunlight (UV) exposure generates ~100,000 DNA lesions per cell, which are mutagenic. In response to UV, cells activate multiple biological processes (primarily via the ATR kinase) to cope with these deleterious lesions. However, chronic UV exposure leads to development of skin cancers, the most prevalent cancers in humans (annual incidence is 3.5 million in the US that exceeds all other cancers combined).

Featured News

Job Opportunity: Postdoctoral Scholar Fellow

The Nghiem Lab has an outstanding opportunity for a Postdoctoral Scholar Fellow to join our research team in South Lake…

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UW & Fred Hutch Research Teams Publish Findings on MCC Immunology 

In two new studies published this month in Cell Reports Medicine, scientists from the UW School of Medicine…

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