The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) has announced 27 grants totaling more than $13 million in support of research aimed at advancing melanoma prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Announced during Melanoma Awareness Month, the grants will support 11 Team Science Awards, 10 Young Investigator Awards, and six Pilot Awards. MRA grant awards back development of innovative ideas that offer the promise of rapidly improving outcomes for melanoma patients. This year’s grants focus on a variety of approaches, including the use of novel cellular barcodes to identify causes—and possible treatments—of resistant disease; research focused on rare melanoma subtypes; ways to improve response to existing checkpoint immunotherapies; and two pilot awards co-funded with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to study the connection between melanoma and Parkinson’s disease.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and the fifth most common cancer in the United States.

“These scientific proposals selected this year for funding by MRA’s expert grant review committee are exceptional,” said MRA chief executive Marc Hurlbert. “We are at a pivotable moment in the fight against melanoma. We are thrilled to support this critical work with the hope of benefiting all patients and families dealing with melanoma and preventing countless more from having to do so.”

For a complete list of grant recipients, see the MRA website.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Ocskaymark)