PRAME Expression in Head and Neck Mucosal Melanomas
Research type
Research Study
Full title
PRAME Expression in Head and Neck Mucosal Melanomas: Correlation with HLA-A2 Status and Potential for Targeted Therapy
IRAS ID
348346
Contact name
Keith Hunter
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
Mucosal melanomas are a rare melanoma subtype that often have worse survival and higher rates of metastatic disease, likely due to delays in diagnosis and a current lack of treatment options.
This research will involve studying protein expression of a specific marker in mucosal melanoma in the head-and-neck region using historical tissue samples. Studying protein expression in these tumours will hopefully lead to better diagnosis and prognostication as well as identification of treatment targets.
The primary protein that will be studied is known as PRAME. This protein almost exclusively appears in malignant cells, so can be helpful in diagnosing subtle cancers. This also makes it an ideal treatment target, as healthy cells are unlikely to be affected by targeted treatments.
To be targeted, PRAME needs to reach the surface of the cell. Cells break proteins into fragments which are then presented on the cell surface by another protein known as HLA-A2. Little is known about the interaction of these proteins in mucosal melanomas. T cells, a type of immune cell, can be programmed to target this PRAME-derived peptide complex on the surface of tumour cells, triggering tumour cell death. The peptide-HLA-A2 complex will be studied using a proximity ligation assay, which can detect when two protein molecules are bound close together.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/1612
Date of REC Opinion
9 Dec 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion