Molecular mechanisms of kinase inhibitor resistance in melanoma

In my thesis, I elucidated several aspects of melanoma biology, all related to the influence of targeted therapies in both responding and resistant melanoma cells. To better understand the MAPK signalling pathway, the impact of BRAF inhibitors on metabolic alterations as well as the connection between BRAF inhibitors and the onset of drug resistance was investigated. This introduction is focused on four topics: i) melanoma, ii) cancer metabolism, iii) miRNAs and iv) extracellular vesicles. First, melanoma biology including incidence rates, etiology, canonical and altered signalling pathways, therapies and resistance mechanisms will be introduced. The second part of the introduction will concentrate on metabolic alterations in the context of cancer and their implication on proliferation and survival. Thirdly, miRNAs and extracellular vesicles will be illustrated providing insights into their role in cancer development and especially drug resistance