HonCode

Go Back   HER2 Support Group Forums > Articles of Interest
Register Gallery FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-20-2005, 06:12 PM   #1
Rich
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Blocking STAT 3 "spread of tumors is severely inhibited"

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=33853

20 Nov 2005

Researchers at City of Hope Cancer Center - in work initiated at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute - have found that a protein believed to play a major role in the development of cancer by promoting tumor growth, and by "cloaking" malignant cells, also disables the immune system. The study is published in the Nov. 20, 2005, online edition of the scientific journal Nature Medicine: www.nature.com/nm. This finding is significant because it adds to the understanding of the development of cancer and could lead to new strategies to prevent or treat the disease.

The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) protein is a regulatory molecule that normally signals and directs the activity of genes. Cancer patients have increased levels of activated STAT3, which promotes tumor growth. Previous research, led by Hua Yu, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Cellular Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology at City of Hope, has shown that STAT3 works to "cloak" cancer cells, making them invisible to the immune system.

The current study indicates STAT3 also acts directly on immune system cells, disabling them, which leads to uncontrolled cell growth.

"Our research shows that STAT3 suppresses a number of key cells involved in immune response," Yu said. "The immune system is critical to preventing cancer, and STAT3 interferes with this, allowing tumor cells to proliferate out of control." The good news is that the researchers have identified ways of deactivating STAT3 in the laboratory, thus restoring immune response.

"We found that growth and spread of tumors is severely inhibited by the immune system once STAT3 is turned off," said Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., seraph professor in Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, and co-investigator on the study.

Next steps for the researchers include identifying methods to deactivate STAT3 in cancer patients with minimal or no toxicity.

"Our work has shown that STAT3 is triply dangerous for cancer patients. It promotes tumor growth, cloaks tumor cells from the immune system and even reaches out to suppress immune response," Yu said. "If we can safely shut down STAT3, we'll give cancer patients a tremendous boost in their fight against the disease."

Other investigators involved in the study include Marcin Kortylewski, Ph.D., assistant research scientist, and Richard Jove, Ph.D., deputy director of City of Hope Cancer Center. Since 1995, Jove has been a pioneer in establishing the link between STAT3 and cancer.

Yu and Jove initiated this research when they were at Moffitt Cancer Center prior to moving their laboratories to City of Hope in 2005 to continue their work on targeting STAT3 for cancer therapy.

About City of Hope

City of Hope is one of the world's leading research and treatment centers for cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Named by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's best medical centers for cancer treatment, City of Hope is a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest designation bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics.

City of Hope's scientific knowledge is shared with medical centers locally and globally, helping patients battling life-threatening diseases. For more information, visit www.cityofhope.org.

About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

In 2001, the National Cancer Institute awarded Moffitt the status of a Comprehensive Cancer Center in recognition of its excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country's leading cancer centers, and is listed in the U.S. News & World Report as one of the top cancer hospitals in America. Moffitt's sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.

Visit the Web site: moffitt.usf.edu/about_moffitt/index.asp.

About Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Visit the Web site:
www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org.
  Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2005, 11:09 PM   #2
Gina
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 197
h. pylori also upregulates STAT3

See also this article...

http://www.nature.com/labinvest/jour.../3700211a.html

Gina
Gina is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:21 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright HER2 Support Group 2007 - 2021
free webpage hit counter