The Food and Drug Administration's approval of a new drug studied in the Valley gives hope to patients with a type of advanced skin cancer -- patients who, until now, had no other treatment options. The approval also marks the first time that a drug has received a federal green light after clinical trials performed in a standing partnership between Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix…Mayo Clinic Dr. Aleksandar Sekuliclater became the lead investigator for the Phase 2 trials of the drug. He said the drug's success and approval has greater implications in oncology research.

Arizona Republic, by Sonja Haller, 01/31/2012

Tags: Cancer, Dr. Aleksander Sekuliclater, Genomics, Mayo Clinic Arizona, oncology research, Research, Scottsdale Healthcare, skin cancer, Translational Genomics Research Institute