The Merkel Cell Carcinoma Collaborative Institute, the world’s only such entity focused on the rare, aggressive skin cancer, was launched this week at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Dubbed “MC3,” the institute emerged with the restructuring of programs of patient care, training and research that straddle the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, the UW Medicine Department of Dermatology, and the lab of its chair, Dr. Paul Nghiem, an expert on the disease.
“Twenty years ago, I started a lab with three people. That’s grown to 25 or more,” said Nghiem, a professor of dermatology. “We directly and indirectly take care of people around the world. We developed two blood tests that have become standard for determining whether someone’s cancer is returning. We get patients into research trials. Our website’s simple language educates doctors and patients. We collaborate with dozens of labs worldwide. Forming an institute made sense.”
