This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The purpose of this study is to find out how active the investigational agent UCN01 is against melanoma and to obtain further information about its side effects. A secondary purpose of the study is to learn more about the direct effects of this drug on cells from melanoma tumor and normal cells from various parts of the body using tests on body secretions, such as blood and saliva. Treatment on this study may be continued as long as the subjects do not experience unmanageable side effects and they are receiving some benefit from treatment as demonstrated by either lack of tumor growth or response to treatment. After treatment is over, medical condition will continue to be followed indefinitely. Metastatic melanoma is not very responsive to most chemotherapy or biological therapy drugs. Most patients do not achieve a major benefit from treatment. Therefore, it is essential that researchers look for different treatments. One possibility is drugs that kill melanoma cells in laboratory studies by different methods than currently available drugs. UCN01 is one such drug that has shown anti-cancer activity against a number of tumor cell types in laboratory experiments. It appears that this drug works by interfering with the function of important proteins found in cancer cells and prevents growth and multiplication of the cells. For this reason, it is being studied against melanoma. A dose and schedule has been selected for this study that did not cause unmanageable side effects in earlier studies in subjects with cancer.
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