Chief of the Section of Melanoma and Sarcoma Surgery, Ashley Holder, M.D., FACS, has been awarded a two-year Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) Career Development Award to support research efforts in the Holder Lab.

“The Melanoma Research Foundation is such a wonderful organization that has dedicated itself to funding research across all stages—from prevention to diagnosis, to treatment,” said Holder. “It is because of organizations such as MRF that we can give hope to patients through melanoma research.”

Holder’s research aims to define the role of tumor-egressing macrophages in melanoma metastasis. According to Holder, the knowledge gained from her research will improve understanding of the metastatic process and inform the development of therapeutics that target metastasis-promoting macrophages not only in cutaneous melanoma but also other cancers that metastasize via lymphatics.

The MRF is committed to advancing research across the spectrum of melanoma. The MRF proactively partners with the NCI, Congress, the Department of Defense and other foundations to develop and collaborate on a broad agenda for melanoma research.