Nitrofuran activity in melanoma cells

We aim to identify new drugs that may be effective for treating melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer with especially high incidence in Scotland. Nitrofurans are potent drugs used to treat bacterial and trypanosome infections, and more recently have been shown to treat brain cancers. Nitrofurans have been found to be able to kill melanoma cells and also melanocytes, the pigment cells that can become melanoma. This project aims to identify melanoma cells that are sensitive to nitrofurans.