KEEN, MORE | Spring 2020

DNA Repair Capacity of NRAS-Mutant Melanoma 3D Spheroids Under Oxidative Stress and DNA Repair Inhibition

B-Raf inhibitor resistance in NRAS-mutant melanoma cells results in poor prognosis and aggressive clinical behavior. Currently, there is a need for therapies that circumvent this resistance in NRAS-mutant melanoma. This research describes the use of a combination of APE1 and HSP90 inhibitors to induce cancer cell apoptosis through DNA damage. Comet Assays are being used to study the effect of these therapeutics on the DNA in order to quantify the level of DNA damage. This will help to understand the effectiveness of APE1 and HSP90 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy, thus resulting in valuable pre-clinical data towards potential clinical use.