The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund is delighted to announce Dr. Erick Figueiredo Saldanha as the recipient of the 2024 David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Research Award.

Dr. Saldanha is a medical oncologist, a clinical fellow at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a Harvard University masters candidate. Dr. Saldanha’s postdoctoral fellowship focuses on clinical and translational research in melanoma, drug development and early-phase clinical trials. He is also the creator and co-host of the Late Night Oncology Show podcast where he interviews world-renown cancer experts to inform physicians.

We are proud to support Dr. Saldanha’s research project investigating a novel minimally invasive blood test (known as liquid biopsy) that detects small fragments of tumour that circulate in the blood. He aims to use this blood test to improve early melanoma detection, allowing for timely personalized treatment strategies and superior patient outcomes.

“I cannot thank you enough for supporting my research, which is a landmark in my career and will allow us to pioneer and benchmark a novel technology with unprecedented precision for detecting cancer cells using a simple blood test for patients diagnosed with melanoma.”

The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Research Award was established in 2015 at the University of Toronto in David Cornfield’s memory. Jointly funded by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the University of Toronto, this $100,000 endowed award supports excellence in melanoma research. The award is available to residents and fellows in the Department of Medicine who have demonstrated special interest and research achievements in the field of melanoma.