Protein found that causes Ovarian Cancer resistance to Chemo

Ovarian cancer can become more difficult to treat because of resistance to chemotherapy, however researchers at the University of Georgia have found the gene and protein it helps express that cause resistance, which may lead to better methods of treatment.
Most women treated for ovarian cancer have tumors come back, 85 percent are more aggressive and chemo-resistant, because of a genetic change in their cancer's cells. The researchers found a protein called RGS10, when activated by mTOR gene causes the drugs to ineffective. They think that keeping this protein from being turned off which is what causes chemotherapy to be ineffective could help the drugs work better. "Depending on the expression levels of RGS10, the chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is more or less effective," said Shelley Hooks, an associate professor at UGA. "If there were a way to reverse silencing of the RGS10 protein, then we could potentially restore sensitivity to drugs," she explained. "It would mean a better chance of survival for women with ovarian cancer."