Discovering a new role for a breast cancer gene

January 18, 2013 in Cancer

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the School of Biosciences have identified an unexpected role for a tumour-associated gene in breast cancer.

Previous studies using tumour cells grown in the laboratory had suggested that the gene, Bcl3, regulated tumour growth.  However when the research team, led by Dr Richard Clarkson, looked at the effect of suppressing this gene in mammary tumours inside the body, they found that this had no effect on tumour growth, but instead prevented the tumours from spreading to other organs.  This is significant because tumour spread (metastasis) is the major cause of death in .

"We have identified an unexpected role for this gene in living tissues, which we would not have predicted from studies of grown outside of the body." Dr Clarkson explained.  "This approach has also revealed that suppressing this gene is not harmful to normal tissues, which makes Bcl3 a promising for breast cancer".  

The results of this study, which have been reported in the leading cancer journal Cancer Research, has led the research team to develop novel pharmacological inhibitors of Bcl3.  These inhibitors are currently undergoing pre-clinical tests to evaluate their potential as anti- that could prevent the spread of cancer, in patients with aggressive forms of breast disease.

More information: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.g… %20wakefield

Journal reference: Cancer Research search and more info website

Provided by Cardiff University search and more info website

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