Promising drug target for aggressive form of breast cancer identified.Byline: ANI Washington, July 9 (ANI): Researchers at Andel Research Institute (VARI Va´ri n. 1. (Zool.) The ringtailed lemur (Lemur catta) of Madagascar. Its long tail is annulated with black and white. ) have identified a potential target for the treatment of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. They found that the Met gene may play a critical role in the development of an aggressive form of breast cancer known as basal basal /ba·sal/ (ba´s'l) pertaining to or situated near a base; in physiology, pertaining to the lowest possible level. ba·sal adj. 1. breast cancer. "Breast cancer mortality rates The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. are actually declining, but the cancers that don't respond to traditional treatments tend to be more aggressive and have decreased survival rates," said VARI Research Scientist Carrie Graveel, Ph.D., lead author of the study. VARI Distinguished Scientific Fellow George Vande Woude, Ph.D., who heads the laboratory that conducted the research, said: "Met has already been associated with decreased survival in breast cancer, but this study identifies its importance in specific types that can be distinguished at the molecular level." In the 1980's, Dr. Vande Woude's laboratory at the National Cancer Institute demonstrated that inappropriate levels of Met occur in human tumours, and that cells with inappropriate Met signaling dramatically impact the spread of cancer. This signaling is implicated im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. in most types of human cancers and high Met expression often correlates with poor prognosis. "We found Met in the majority of breast cancers. But levels were highest in aggressive types, making Met a promising drug target that could help patients that currently have few treatment options," said VARI Research Technician Jack DeGroot, another of the study's authors. The study has been published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually referred to as PNAS, is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences. U.S.A. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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