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From the Desk of Samantha Guild

Happy Spring!

Spring is a season of things new and renewed, and this newsletter fits that theme.

On the “new” front is the FDA’s approval in February of Amtagvi (lifileucel), the TILs therapy for the treatment of metastatic melanoma (read about all FDA approved treatments for melanoma here). We have two articles in this newsletter to help you understand the treatment and approval. The first is a newly updated version of an In Plain English article by Dr. Kim Margolin that we ran a few years ago explaining how TILs therapy works and who can receive it. The second is a print version of a TILs therapy Q&A with Dr. Allison Betof-Warner based on the webinar that she did with me a few weeks ago (watch the webinar here). Both doctors endeavor to explain the treatment in a way that is accessible to all of us.

In the “renewed” category is an article on our oldest Steps Against Melanoma walk, which is in Dallas and coordinated both this year and last year by Julie Frampton, a melanoma survivor and AIM volunteer extraordinaire. This year, the walk in Dallas is celebrating its 20^th anniversary. (Sign up here!) That’s 20 years of community, 20 years of fundraising for research, and 20 years of hope. Thank you to all who have walked, donated, and volunteered in Dallas over the years—and in every Steps Against Melanoma walk across the country. You are all making a difference in the fight against melanoma and the search for the cure!

AIM continues to celebrate our 20^th anniversary this year, which really means continuing to fulfill our mission. I’m printing our mission here because it’s what leads us every day:

Founded in 2004, AIM at Melanoma is a global foundation dedicated to finding more effective treatments and, ultimately, the cure for melanoma.

By directing and funding paradigm-shifting research initiatives; educating patients, healthcare professionals, and the public; and advocating for survivors and their families, AIM at Melanoma’s goal is to end this disease in our lifetime while improving the lives of those it affects.

You might remember that AIM was founded—and our mission was defined—by my mother, Valerie Guild, after the death of my sister, Charlie, at age 26 from melanoma. (Read about the founding of AIM here.) I’m proud to carry on her mission.

Most important, we can’t fulfill our mission without your support, so thank you for all you do.

Samantha Guild
President
AIM at Melanoma Foundation