Jeffrey Epstein, Science Philanthropist, Funds Essential Genomic Melanoma Research Over the last year, the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation, helped fund a pivotal study in melanoma genomics. Led by the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) and the Hidary Foundation, the study is isolating the genetic mutation drivers for acral melanoma. Although a more rare form of melanoma, acral melanoma is 10% — 20% more fatal than other types and often falls under the radar for clinical research. The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) is the largest private funder of melanoma research worldwide. The Alliance funds programs that show significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis, staging and treatment of melanoma, including progress in the causes of carcinogenesis, skin screening, biomarkers, imaging, immunotherapy, molecularly targeted therapy and combination therapy. Since 2007, the MRA has granted approximately $49 million to more than 171 programs and 80 institutions in more than 14 countries. "Genomic sequencing is much easier today," Jeffrey Epstein noted, founder of the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation. "What once cost several million dollars can now be done for a few thousand dollars per patient." Scientists working on the acral project collected genetic data from more than a hundred patients with acral cancer, and analyzed whole exome, genome and RNA sequences, for the most comprehensive map of mutation markers. "The genetic signature of each cancer is critical to developing a targeted inhibitor drug," Jeffrey Epstein continued. "However, genetic data for each patient needs to be continually assessed in genetic real time, as the disease progresses and reacts to treatment." Indeed, over the last decade, the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation has supported mathematical research at the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard University, which shows that cancer cells can evolve during inhibitor treatment leading to new forms of driving mutations. The Program a