The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)

The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) was established in November 2007, under the auspices of the Milken Institute with the generous support of Debra and Leon Black.

The mission of the MRA is to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and its translation into effective options for patients - in prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment - in order to eliminate suffering and death due to melanoma.

Cornerstones of the MRA vision include:

• Supporting innovative, high risk research that has the potential to impact the outcomes of melanoma in the near and intermediate future.
• Engaging the international community for best ideas, proposal submissions, cross-disciplinary teams, and as members of the MRA Scientific Advisory Board and Grant Review Committee.
• Creating a stable financial environment that will draw young investigators with novel ideas as well as experienced researchers in other medical fields into a career in melanoma.
• Seeking opportunities for synergy with other funders to maximize impact.
• Maintaining an efficient, non-bureaucratic grant application process that allows the investigators to minimize time in administrative duties.
• Fostering a collaborative research process - in team science awards; workshops and conferences where results will be shared before publication and new opportunities identified early.
• Partnering with industry, government agencies, other foundations as well as academicians in order to stimulate discussion and idea-generation throughout the continuum of science, public policy, drug approval and healthcare.