Dr. Lawrence's research focuses on the development of novel therapies for melanoma. He leads numerous melanoma clinical trials within the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. He is the principal investigator of two NCI-funded, multicenter clinical trials evaluating targeted therapies in cancers selected by prospective genotypic analysis: an intergroup trial of a c-kit inhibitor for the subset of melanomas that harbor mutations in that gene, and a trial of a MEK inhibitor in cancers other than melanoma with BRAF mutations. Dr. Lawrence also has a research interest in immunotherapy for melanoma.