Melanoma study underway at Brigham Young University Idaho

Research has begun in the labs at Brigham Young University Idaho, and it involves zebra fish and melanoma.

The study is an in depth look into the migratory patterns of neural crest cells.

BYU-Idaho student, Reiker Ricks, who is participating in the study stated, “We’re trying to get more information on melanoma cancer in these fish.”

Melanoma, which behaves like the cells, could be susceptible to some of the same mechanisms that control neural crest cell migration.

BYU-Idaho professor, Caleb Bailey, who is managing this study explained, “We want to study this in fish using the zebra fish as an ideal model because of its stripes which are generated by this same cell type,” he continued by stating, “We want to understand how this stripe is formed during embryonic development, and then we want to try and manipulate gene expression and protein expression so that we can change the stripes on the fish.”

Ricks continued by explaining, “Hopefully this research is able to help us further understand the patterns and movements in migration of cancer cells in these fish.”

Bailey is hopeful that this research will help us gain a better understanding of melanoma.