Skin of Steel NFP

Skin of Steel's main goal is to establish a national Melanoma Tissue Bank to collect primary melanoma tumor specimens for research. Key to supporting our local mission to develop Chicago as a center of excellence for melanoma research and treatment has been the inclusion of a Chicago medical research institution in this tissue bank. The national Melanoma TIssue Bank consortium is made up of four institutions spanning the U.S. to provide a broad demographic sampling of tissue for melanoma research. This tissue bank will provide researchers with the raw material necessary to expand the identification of biomarkers related to melanoma. This resource can lead to more effective customized treatment for melanoma patients.

Skin of Steel is raising funds with AIM at Melanoma, to establish and maintain the national Melanoma Tissue Bank. Four top medical research institutions host branches of the tissue bank. Together, the Principal Investigators from these institutions have established the necessary protocols for collecting tissue samples and data for the bank. A key expert in tissue banking has consulted on best practices for this bank. The start-up phase includes branches at the Hillman Cancer Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Northwestern University's Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Knight Cancer Center at Oregon Health and Science University, and California Pacific Medical Center. The goal is to collect 500 primary melanoma tumor specimens. They will be stored in a flash frozen state to preserve RNA which is unavailable in typical dead paraffin storage. Specimens will be fully annotated with blood and urine samples. Data collected will be widely shared among the research community through a national database. Upon Internal Review Board approval for their research, tissue will be distributed to both public and private research institutions. Lurie's participation will attract the attention of principal investigators and the pharmaceutical industry which will generate needed clinical trial opportunities in Chicago. Additionally, the Melanoma Tissue Bank partners will have expanded opportunities to do collaborative melanoma research.

We have also engaged a junior board to assist in raising awareness about sun safety especially among teenagers through events like Spyn of Steel, a fundraiser focused on engaging young people in spinning to raise funds for Skin of Steel while sharing information on sun safety.

Chicago-based Skin of Steel is partnered with AIM at Melanoma based in San Francisco and the national Melanoma Tissue Bank Consortium to drive this effort forward. AIM at Melanoma is a 501c3 dedicated to melanoma research and treatment that has worked closely with both the academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry. AIM sponsors regional and international working groups of melanoma researchers. The Melanoma Tissue Bank Consortium is a 501c3 that will be focused on administering funding to the institutions that will be gathering the tissue samples for research.

We have engaged with a group of dedicated melanoma researchers including Dr. John Kirkwood at Hillman Cancer Center at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Sancy Leachman at Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Sciences University, Dr. Mohammed Kashani-Sabet at the Center for Melanoma Research and Treatment at the California Pacific Medical Center, and Dr. Jeffrey Wayne at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University who are working diligently through the legal and institutional challenges of developing the first ever collaborative melanoma tissue bank. With their expertise, commitment and prominence in their field, together with the dedicated fundraising efforts of Skin of Steel and AIM at Melanoma, we believe the tissue bank will be able to collect 500 specimens for collaborative research.

To date we have raised over 1/3 of the funding needed to fully establish the national Melanoma Tissue Bank. One of the biggest challenges is attracting money for infrastructure. We are committed to communicating the critical necessity of this tool in supporting melanoma research. To date, we've won grants from three foundations for $215,000, with overall donations passing $1 million. Skin of Steel has also educated the melanoma patient and family community on the role that genetics plays in melanoma. This awareness motivates those affected to donate funds in the hope that treatment will significantly advance and mitigate melanoma's impact on their children and/or grandchildren.