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- Posted Friday April 17, 2009
TGen researchers discover possible way to block the spread of deadly brain tumors
Findings will be presented during the 100th annual meeting of
the American Association for Cancer Research in Denver
PHOENIX, Ariz. - April 17, 2009 - Researchers at the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen) may have found a way to stop the
often-rapid spread of deadly brain tumors.
A gene with the playful-sounding name NHERF-1 may be a serious
target for drugs that could prevent malignant tumors from rapidly
multiplying and invading other parts of the brain, according to a
cover story in this month's edition of Neoplasia, an international
journal of cancer research.
Cancer cell movement and rapid division are key characteristics of
malignant brain tumors known as glioblastoma multiforme, or
GBM.
Dr. Michael Berens, Director of TGen's Cancer and Cell Biology
Division, said the recent findings are a major step toward devising
a treatment for GBM, which because of its ability to rapidly grow
within the brain often means patients have little time to
survive.
"Controlling the actions of tumor cells by regulating NHERF-1
implicates it as a possible therapeutic target for treating brain
cancer," said Dr. Kerri Kislin, a scientist in TGen's Cancer and
Cell Biology Division.
"Our findings suggest a novel mechanism defining NHERF-1 as a
'molecular switch' that regulates the GBM tumor cell's ability to
migrate or divide," said Dr. Kislin, the scientific paper's lead
author.
Dr. Berens, the paper's senior author, said the advances made by
TGen not only confirm NHERF-1 as a gene associated with brain
tumors, but also pinpoint it as a possible cause for their rapid
growth and spread of GBM.
"Dr. Kislin's work has meant a fast maturation of NHERF-1 from a
candidate gene associated with glioma invasion to positioning it as
having a verified role in contributing to the malignant behavior of
the disease," Dr. Berens said.
TGen scientists are scheduled to present their findings at the
100th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer
Research, April 18-22 in Denver.
Glioblastomas are essentially incurable tumors, in part, because
there is no way to remove them surgically and ensure that all of
the invading tumor cells are gone, even when surgery is followed by
radiation treatments and conventional anti-cancer drugs.
"A chemotherapeutic treatment which targets these migrating cells
would therefore have significant ramifications on patient
survival," said Dr. Jennifer M. Eschbacher, a Neuropathology Fellow
at Barrow Neurological Institute, who examined tumors for the
study.
"As a pathologist, I examined expression of NHERF-1 under the
microscope in tumor sections, including both invading edges of
tumor and cellular tumor cores. We found NHERF-1 to be robustly
expressed by invading tumors cells, when compared to tumor cores,
suggesting that this factor plays a significant role in tumor
invasion," Dr. Eschbacher said.
In the study, depletion of NHERF-1 stopped the migration of glioma
- brain cancer - cells, she said. "These results suggest that
NHERF-1 plays an important role in tumor biology, and that targeted
inhibition of this factor may have significant effects on patient
treatment and survival."
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About Barrow Neurological Institute
Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical
Center in Phoenix, Arizona, is internationally recognized as a
leader in neurological research and patient care. Barrow treats
patients with a wide range of neurological conditions, including
brain and spinal tumors, cerebrovascular conditions, and
neuromuscular disorders. Barrow's clinicians and researchers are
devoted to providing excellent patient care and finding better ways
to treat neurological disorders. For more information, visit:
www.thebarrow.org.
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a
Phoenix-based, non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. For more
information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
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