Mélanie Tichet Receives Beug Stiftung Award for Research on Aging and Therapy Resistance in Metastatic Melanoma
Frankfurt am Main - Dr. Mélanie Tichet, group leader at the Georg-Speyer-Haus and the LOEWE-Center Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), has been awarded the prestigious Metastasis Prize by the Beug Stiftung für Metastasierungsforschung. The award honours innovative and promising early-career researchers who are advancing the understanding of cancer metastasis.
The awarded project, “Aging and Therapy Resistance in Metastatic Melanoma,” addresses an important but often overlooked aspect of cancer biology: the impact of aging on tumor progression and treatment response. While older melanoma patients generally face poorer outcomes, most preclinical research is still based on young models. Dr. Tichet’s work aims to bridge this gap by developing and analysing melanoma models that better reflect the biology of aging, to uncover why older patients respond differently to targeted and immune-based therapies.
By focusing on how the aged tumor microenvironment influences metastasis and therapy resistance, the project has the potential to open new avenues for more effective, age-adapted treatments. The Beug Stiftung’s award committee highlighted the project’s novelty and strong translational relevance in recognising its scientific merit.
“I am honoured to receive this award from the Beug Foundation,” says Dr. Tichet. “Understanding how aging shapes tumor behaviour is essential if we want to improve outcomes for older melanoma patients. This support enables us to pursue a research direction that has long been overlooked but is urgently needed.”
The Beug Stiftung für Metastasierungsforschung was founded in memory of Prof. Hartmut Beug to promote outstanding basic and translational research in metastasis. Awarded every two years, the Metastasis Prize recognises young scientists for exceptional contributions to the field.
We congratulate Mélanie Tichet on this significant achievement and look forward to the advances this research will bring to the understanding and treatment of metastatic melanoma in older patients.