Laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica) model for melanoma chemoprevention

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Developments in melanoma basic research and therapeutic interventions have advanced tremendously with help of animal models of this disease. Transgenic and knockout mice have provided a wide array of melanoma models, which are primarily used for studying molecular pathways and developing treatment strategies. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no natural animal model for research on chemoprevention of melanoma induced by UV light alone. In this editorial, we discuss the potential of the laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica) as a natural model for research on chemoprevention of melanoma.