Why melanoma trial monitoring matters
Melanoma has been the proving ground for immuno-oncology since the approval of ipilimumab in 2011. The therapeutic landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with new checkpoint inhibitor combinations, cell therapies, and targeted agents entering clinical development at an accelerating pace.
The volume of active melanoma trials on ClinicalTrials.gov (the live count is on this page) makes the monitoring challenge significant for pharma BD teams, biotech investors, and dermatologic oncology researchers. Key signals to track:
- Novel checkpoint inhibitor combinations (anti-LAG-3, anti-TIGIT, anti-TIM-3 paired with PD-1)
- TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte) therapy programs following lifileucel approval
- Neoadjuvant/adjuvant immunotherapy trials, a rapidly growing area
- BRAF/MEK inhibitor next-generation combinations
- mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccines (e.g., mRNA-4157/V940 and competitors)
- Trials in uveal melanoma, mucosal melanoma, and acral melanoma, underserved subtypes with distinct biology
Get daily melanoma trial digest
Set your profile once. Receive a clean digest every morning with new trials and updates matching your criteria.
Get the Free DigestA primary completion date pushed out, enrollment cut, or a primary endpoint changed in the last 90 days. Active trials only.
| Trial | Warning signs | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Safety of SBRT With Anti-PD1 and Anti-IL-8 for the Treatment of Multiple… NCT04572451 | Primary completion moved at least 2 years 4 months later Primary endpoint(s) modified | Active, Not Recruiting |
72 more on the Trials at Risk page. See which trials →
Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials with a primary completion date in the next 180 days, as ClinicalTrials.gov estimates it today. Active trials only.
| Trial | Scheduled | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| A Study to Evaluate ARV-806 in Adults With Advanced Cancer That Has the KRAS… NCT07023731 | Nov 30, 2026 · Estimated | Phase 1/2 |
58 more on the Completions page. See the calendar →
What we monitor for melanoma
Our pipeline pulls directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API every day. For a melanoma watch profile, you can configure:
- Condition keywords: "melanoma", "metastatic melanoma", "uveal melanoma", "mucosal melanoma", "BRAF V600E", "BRAF mutant melanoma"
- Phase filter: Phase 1 only, Phase 2/3, or all phases
- Sponsor filter: Industry-sponsored only (for competitive intelligence) or all sponsors
- Status filter: Recruiting only, all active studies, or any status
The melanoma treatment landscape
Next-generation immunotherapy combinations
The success of nivolumab + relatlimab (Opdualag) validated the dual checkpoint approach in melanoma. Now, dozens of programs are testing combinations involving LAG-3, TIGIT, TIM-3, and other immune checkpoints. Tracking new combination trials gives competitive intelligence teams early visibility into which targets and combinations are being prioritized by pharma companies.
Cell therapy beyond CAR-T
TIL therapy, using a patient's own tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, has emerged as a distinct cell therapy modality in solid tumors. Following the approval of lifileucel (Amtagvi), multiple competitors are developing next-generation TIL products with shorter manufacturing times, enhanced potency, and combination approaches.
Personalized cancer vaccines
mRNA-based neoantigen vaccines represent one of the most anticipated advances in melanoma. The mRNA-4157/V940 + pembrolizumab combination has generated significant interest, and competitor programs are rapidly entering clinical development. Monitoring vaccine trial starts is essential for companies positioning in this space.
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy
Pre-surgical immunotherapy has shown remarkable pathological complete response rates in resectable melanoma. This paradigm shift is driving a wave of neoadjuvant trial registrations that could reshape the treatment algorithm for early-stage disease.
Who uses melanoma trial monitoring
Pharma and biotech companies
Companies with immuno-oncology programs track melanoma trial activity across the industry. Melanoma is often the first indication for novel immunotherapy mechanisms, making it a bellwether for broader I-O strategy decisions.
Oncology-focused investors
Investors monitor melanoma trial registrations as early signals for immunotherapy platform value. A new Phase 2 combination trial can signal a company's clinical development strategy months before any public announcement.
Academic researchers
Melanoma researchers at academic medical centers track new trial registrations to identify collaboration opportunities, understand the competitive landscape for their own investigator-initiated trials, and stay current on emerging mechanisms.
Frequently asked questions
How current is the melanoma trial data?
Our pipeline fetches from ClinicalTrials.gov every morning. Studies posted or updated in the preceding 24 hours appear in that day's digest.
Can I track melanoma subtypes separately?
Yes. On Pro ($49/month, or $490/year), you can create up to 10 sponsor and 10 disease watchlists. You might have one profile for uveal melanoma, another for BRAF-mutant trials, and another for all Phase 3 immunotherapy combinations.
Does this cover international melanoma trials?
ClinicalTrials.gov includes trials conducted internationally, so yes, international melanoma trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov are included. This covers most major industry-sponsored programs worldwide, particularly those with US sites.
What DataLookout adds to ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov RSS feeds tell you that a study record was updated. DataLookout compares each record against the previous day across 14 tracked fields and tells you which one changed and what changed in it, for every Melanoma trial on your watchlist. Each change is marked Stopped, Notable or Minor, so a trial being terminated does not read the same as a few sites being added.
837 active trials, 455 recruiting.
Industry sponsors run 256 of these trials. The rest are run by universities, hospitals, government bodies and other non-commercial sponsors. The table below lists the 5 largest of 169.
| Top industry sponsor | Active trials |
|---|---|
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | 9 |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | 7 |
| Merck (MSD) | 6 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals | 6 |
| IDEAYA Biosciences | 5 |
| Trial | Status | Latest tracked change | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| BostonGene and Exigent Genomic INsight Study NCT06272864 | Recruiting | Primary completion pushed from Jan 8, 2026 to Jan 8, 2028 | 2026-11-13 |
| A Phase 1 Study of PLN-101095 in Adults With Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors NCT06270706 | Recruiting | Trial sites expanded: 22 → 27 locations | 2026-11-13 |
| Study of Adjuvant Darovasertib and Crizotinib in Participants With Primary… NCT07804186 | Recruiting | Trial sites expanded: 13 → 29 locations | 2026-11-13 |
| Immunotherapy or Targeted Therapy With or Without Stereotactic Radiosurgery for… NCT05522660 | Recruiting | Study completion pushed from Dec 2026 to Jun 2027 | 2026-11-13 |
| Safety of SBRT With Anti-PD1 and Anti-IL-8 for the Treatment of Multiple… NCT04572451 | Active, Not Recruiting | Study completion pushed from May 31, 2027 to Aug 5, 2027 | 2026-08-21 |
Each trial page shows every change DataLookout has recorded for that trial.
DataLookout checks ClinicalTrials.gov every day and records what changed on each trial: status, enrollment, phase, primary endpoint, completion dates, sites, sponsor, and the stated reason a trial stopped. Add a sponsor or a disease to your watchlist, or save any search, and the changes arrive in a daily or weekly email digest.
Free, $0 forever: 1 sponsor + 1 disease watchlist, 1 saved search in your email digest, track up to 5 individual trials, daily change detection, Trials at Risk (top 2 trials). No credit card.
Pro, $49/month or $490/year: 10 sponsor + 10 disease watchlists, 10 saved searches in your email digest, track up to 25 individual trials, full Trials at Risk list, Completions calendar, landscape reports, CSV export.