Researchers have discovered gene-targets
(biomarkers) that may enable alternative treatments or the potential
design of new drugs that target metastasis-promoting tumor genes.
This is the key
finding in a study led by researchers from Georgia State University in
collaboration with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and
published in journal Oncotarget.
"The aim of our study was to investigate/search for gene targets that
provide meaningful information on the tendency of cancer cells to
spread to secondary sites," said Imoh Okon, assistant professor of
research in the Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine at
Georgia State and lead author on the study. "In this study, we found
that enhanced neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) and NEDD9 levels in endometrial and
lung cancer positively correlated with metastasis, while liver kinase B1
(LKB1) inhibited the migration of cancer cells."
For the study, researchers obtained more than a hundred clinical
endometrial cancer specimens and matching serum. Using multiplex arrays
and a variety of experimental approaches, they analyzed the specimens
for gene targets that positively or negatively correlated with
metastatic potential of the tumors. Data were translated to reflect the
patient's age at diagnosis, disease stage, grade and histology.
"Our research provides strong translational potential with respect to
biomarkers that play critical roles in the development of
endometrial/lung tumors," added Okon. "The ability to identify,
characterize and validate gene targets that strongly associate or
correlate with disease development or metastasis will facilitate early
detection and appropriate treatments to tackle the disease at an early
stage or before metastasis occurs."
The researchers' next steps will involve expansion of the biomarkers
identified in this study to other cancer types, especially breast
cancer, due to the hormonal input that is a common factor in gynecologic
tumors.
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