Sun “Coco” Yang, Ph.D., has been awarded a $3 million 5-year R01 from the National Institutes of Health as Principal Investigator to advance care for melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer.

Yang, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, is a clinical scientist with dual expertise in clinical pharmacy and basic research. In addition to providing direct patient care at City of Hope, her lab at CUSP develops novel treatments for cutaneous melanoma.

“Human cutaneous melanoma is one of the few cancers in which the incidence rate continues to increase. In 2025, approximately 104,960 new cases of invasive melanoma are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S.,” said Yang. “Despite the recent advances in immune and targeted therapies, the 5-year survival rate of the metastatic disease remains low, at approximately 34.6%.” Many patients fail to respond or eventually develop resistance to existing therapies, creating an urgent need for new treatment options.

Yang’s research team has made significant advancements in understanding the role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in melanoma development and disease progression. In collaboration with Richard Silverman, Ph.D., at Northwestern University and Jennifer Totonchy, Ph.D. at Chapman University, Yang’s work has yielded key insights into the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting nNOS with the potential to enhance the anti-tumor activity of immunotherapy for patients diagnosed with melanoma.

The overall goal of their project is to develop novel nNOS inhibitors with improved potency, selectivity, and oral bioavailability. As the PI, Yang is leading a multidisciplinary team in the development of a first-in-class small-molecule nNOS inhibitor for melanoma therapy. The findings have great potential, potentially transforming mechanistic insights into novel treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes and advance the fight against this challenging disease.