Ashani Weeraratna on Aging and Melanoma

Ashani Weeraratna, PhD, associate professor, Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, member, The Wistar Institute Melanoma Research Center, discusses a study examining the effects of aging on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in melanoma.

In her current research, Weeraratna has been studying the effects of aging on skin and how tumors undergo changes in response to aging skin.

A recent study has shown that as fibroblast in skin ages, it generates secretions or stops secreting. In turn, this promotes tumor progression and creates changes in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. These changes in tumor cells allow the tumor to become metastatic and more resistant to targeted therapies. Mechanically, changes in the collagen and extracellular matrix also occur when skin ages, which promote signaling changes.