MELCAYA

In a ground-breaking endeavor to revolutionize melanoma care for children, adolescents, and young adults, the MELCAYA project has commenced its ambitious journey. With a duration spanning 48 months from December 2022, this pioneering initiative seeks to address the critical gap in understanding and managing melanoma in the younger population. Led by an international consortium comprising experts from 10 countries and diverse disciplines, MELCAYA aims to unravel the intricacies of melanoma risk factors, enhance early diagnosis through advanced technologies, and develop innovative strategies for prevention and prognosis.

The MELCAYA project, “Novel health care strategies for melanoma in children, adolescents, and young adults,” embarks on a transformative journey supported by funding from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme (call: “Better understanding of the impact of risk factors and health determinants on the development and progression of cancer”). Commencing in December 2022 and spanning 48 months, this initiative targets a critical gap in healthcare by focusing on melanoma, a condition often overlooked in the younger population. By assembling a multidisciplinary consortium spanning 10 countries, MELCAYA endeavors to pioneer innovative approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and prognosis in melanoma care for children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYA). Leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaborative research efforts, MELCAYA aims to revolutionize the management of melanoma in CAYA patients, setting new standards for personalized interventions and improved clinical outcomes. To achieve this overall goal, the project has these objectives:

1. Unraveling risk factors: Investigating environmental and genetic determinants contributing to melanoma development in CAYA patients to inform preventive strategies.
2. Molecular profiling: Exploring molecular signatures underlying the progression from benign congenital nevi to melanoma, offering insights into potential therapeutic targets.
3. International collaboration: Facilitating collaboration and standardization in melanoma taxonomy and diagnostic protocols across European partners.
4. Clinical evaluation: Assessing the clinical efficacy and safety of anti-PD1 antibodies in CAYA melanoma patients to expand treatment options.
5. AI-based diagnosis: Developing AI-driven diagnostic tools for early melanoma detection and differentiation from benign lesions, tailored to CAYA patients.
6. Non-invasive technologies: Deploying rapid and non-invasive technologies for risk assessment and prognosis monitoring using AI and volatilities detection methods.
7. Healthcare strategies: Designing healthcare policies and strategies based on research findings to enhance melanoma care for CAYA patients.
8. Engagement and education of patients: Disseminating project findings and engaging patients in research and education initiatives to empower CAYA melanoma patients and promote collaboration.

In pursuit of its objectives, MELCAYA has assembled a collaborative consortium comprising 25 partners from diverse backgrounds and expertise across Europe. Coordinated by Fundacio Clinic per a la Recerca Biomedica (Spain), the consortium also includes these institutions: Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (Spain), Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen (Germany), Universite d’Aix Marseille (France), Universita degli Studi di Firenze (Italy), Universita degli Studi di Perugia (Italy), Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg (Germany), Prinses Maxima Centrum voor Kinderoncologie BV (Netherlands), Region Stockholm (Sweden), Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (Italy), Narodowy Instytut Onkologii im. Marii Sklodowskiej-Curie – Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy (Poland), IUF – Leibniz-Institut fur Umweltmedizinische Forschung GmbH (Germany), Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (Israel), Athena Tech SL (Spain), SYNYO GmbH (Austria), Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS (Italy), Institut Catala d’Oncologia (Spain), Agenzia Nazionale per i Servizi Sanitari Regionali (Italy), Asociatia Melanom Romania (Romania), Institut Curie (France), Gdanski Uniwersytet Medyczny (Poland), Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin (Germany), Nevus Netwerk Nederland (Netherlands), and Fundacio Institut d’Investigacio Biomedica de Bellvitge (Spain). Together, the consortium will contribute to the success of MELCAYA with a total of 914.09 person-months.

SYNYO takes a leading role in several critical activities within the MELCAYA project, focusing on dissemination, communication, and exploitation. These efforts are aimed at ensuring that the project’s outcomes reach a wide audience and are effectively utilized beyond the project’s duration. By spearheading initiatives to establish a robust online and media presence, SYNYO facilitates the amplification of project visibility and engagement. Additionally, SYNYO plays a key role in crafting exploitation strategies for validated minimally and non-invasive technologies, ensuring their successful implementation in real-world settings. Furthermore, SYNYO leads collaborative efforts with other EU-funded initiatives and networks, fostering synergies and maximizing the impact of the project on melanoma care for children, adolescents, and young adults. Through these major contributions, SYNYO significantly enhances the success and sustainability of the MELCAYA project.

Project Website:

www.melcaya.eu

Keywords

Melanoma, Cancer, Children, Adolescents, Young adults, Artificial Intelligence, Prevention, Healthcare