Genomic analysis of melanocytic neoplasms

The overarching goal of the study was to better understand the evolution of melanoma. To do this, we collected archival tissue of melanomas adjacent to their intact, remnant precursor lesions. We also collected archival tissue of primary melanomas and their matching metastases. From the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks, we microdissected non-neoplastic (normal), precursor, and descendent portions of tissue. Both RNA and DNA were extracted from the microdissected tissues and subjected to next generation sequencing. In summary, we performed matched DNA/RNA sequencing of melanoma/precursor/normal trios, allowing us to trace the genetic and transcriptomic evolution of melanoma.