The University of Washington School of Medicine announced the establishment of the Merkel Cell Carcinoma Collaborative Institute, the first institution dedicated to this rare type of skin cancer. The institute combines programs from the university's Department of Dermatology and Fred Hutch Cancer Center, with 50 researchers and clinicians from 15 institutions.

"Twenty years ago, I started a lab with three people. That's grown to 25 or more," said Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD, Professor of Dermatology and Department Chair at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine. "We directly and indirectly take care of people around the world," he emphasized in a report from UW Medicine.

The institute maintains over 60,000 biological specimens and a database containing clinical information from over 1,900 patients. These resources are available to member laboratories for research.

Epidemiologic data has indicated that nearly 3,300 new cases of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) will occur in the United States in 2025. Mortality rates have decreased to an estimated 15% to 20% from over 33% of cases prior to immunotherapy, according to pending research from the MC3 team.

"The two highly sensitive blood tests we established for MCC can help clinicians detect recurrences months or years before the cancer can be found on a scan," Dr. Nghiem said. Data showed immune therapies have increased the rate of lasting benefit among patients with advanced MCC from 5% to 50%.

The new institute offers fellowship programs for physicians and medical students, with 1 to 2 years of clinical research training. A separate undergraduate research program received over 300 applications for three positions.

MC3 consolidates existing research programs and clinical care pathways from multiple institutions.