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Melanoma, considered the deadliest form of skin cancer by the medical community, has long been difficult to treat. A local scientific team in òòò½Íøhas discovered a key reason behind this difficulty and is planning to collaborate with international pharmaceutical companies to develop new cancer treatments.

Professor Li Qijing, Distinguished Chief Scientist at Singapore’s òòò½Íø, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), shared this information with Lianhe Zaobao during IMCB’s 40th anniversary celebration on Thursday, April 10.

Since 2017, Professor Li has led a research team of more than ten scientists from the United States, China, and Singapore. Through repeated testing on animal models, they discovered that melanoma can mimic the nervous system to evade detection by the immune system. It produces a critical nerve growth factor that, through the receptor TrkA found on both tumor and immune cells, causes the body’s immune cells to lose their ability to fight melanoma.

According to Professor Li, if immune cells can detect melanoma cells in time, the body’s natural immunity could significantly reduce the risk of cancer. However, the nerve growth factor — only a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair — can block immune cells from entering melanoma cells or disable them even if they manage to enter.

He said, “We hope that in the next three to five years, our discovery will lead to improvements in current melanoma drugs and their combined usage, greatly enhancing the cure rate for melanoma patients.”

The research project received funding support from the National Research Foundation and A*STAR, although the exact amount was not disclosed. The related scientific paper was published in early 2024 in the journal Nature Immunology. Professor Li is now leading efforts to collaborate with international pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer to begin clinical trials and improve current cancer therapies to benefit patients.

In response to Lianhe Zaobao’s inquiry, Bayer stated that while it is committed to addressing medical gaps through continuous innovation, it is currently not conducting clinical trials with A*STAR on this melanoma research.

According to statistics from Singapore’s National Neuroscience Institute, the incidence rate of melanoma in òòò½Íøis only 0.5 cases per 100,000 people. Melanoma can appear anywhere on the body — either directly on the skin or from the transformation of a mole into cancer.

Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Dr. Tan See Leng, in his speech at IMCB’s 40th anniversary celebration, stated that IMCB was Singapore’s first life sciences research institute, and its development reflects the evolution of the country’s biomedical sector.

He noted that òòò½Íøcurrently occupies a central role in the global biopharmaceutical supply chain, attracting over 60 pharmaceutical and med-tech manufacturers, as well as more than 500 biotech startups. However, with the United States increasing tariffs on many countries — including òòò½Íø— the situation is becoming more tense. Given that pharmaceutical products are one of Singapore’s major exports to the U.S., and the U.S. has signaled plans to raise import tariffs on such products, the outlook is concerning.

Dr. Tan emphasized that in this global environment, òòò½Íømust remain economically open and uphold its long-standing commitments to businesses and investors.