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"A New Mexico pharmaceutical company is on the brink of a medical breakthrough that could one day save lives.Recent studies show more young people, especially women, are being diagnosed with melanoma. It\u2019s the deadliest form of skin cancer. And researchers at Solaran Rx believe they've developed a new way to diagnose and treat it.Melanoma is more common in New Mexico than in most other states, because of the year-round sunshine and high altitude.Solaran says a peptide is behind their breakthrough -- a tiny compound that attaches to melanoma cells. Representatives say something can be hooked onto the peptide that kills the cell.Co-founder Stu Rose says it took a University of New Mexico professor more than 10 years to develop the peptide. Solaran Rx then licensed the technology from the university.They\u2019ve tested it on mice, with about an 80 percent cure rate, representatives say.The next hurdle is raising enough money to test it on humans, which will take about $3 million.People at UNM\u2019s Comprehensive Cancer Center say they're anxious to see if this peptide works.Renowned oncologist Dr. Monte Shaheen developed immunotherapy last year, which right now is considered the best way to treat melanoma. It works by using a combination of drugs to make a person\u2019s immune system fight cancer cells. Shaheen says though it\u2019s much more effective than chemotherapy, immunotherapy does have its drawbacks.\u201CThe immune cells attack the cancer cells, but ... the immune cells sometimes infiltrate other organs,\u201D Shaheen said.That can lead to uncomfortable side effects.Solaran Rx representatives say not all testing is finished, but they don\u2019t believe their treatment should have serious side effects.\u00A0\u00A0"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.koat.com/article/area-company-targets-melanoma-treatment-by-targeting-cells/5069969>