Scientists pave the way for better tools to diagnose, predict and control the cancer -
Scientists have shown how to better identify and measure vital molecules that control the behavior cell - opening the way to improved diagnostic tools, forecasting and monitoring of cancer
Research UK researchers at Manchester cancer Institute based at the University of Manchester -. Part Cancer Research Centre Manchester - and the Institute for Research on Cancer, London, looked at protein kinases, molecules that control various aspects of cellular function.
The study, funded by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) / Pfizer CASE studentship and CRUK, was published in Nature Methods this week (24 August).
previous work has shown that mutations or increases in a range of protein kinases are associated with tumor growth, and for several decades, researchers have sought to develop drugs that target and prevent this activity in order to kill cancer cells. Ten types of drugs that reduce the activity have so far been approved for the treatment of cancer patients.
Dr Claus J-rgensen, which carried out the study as a team leader in the Division of Cancer Biology at research institute on cancer, London, before taking a new position as head of the group of oncology Systems Institute at Manchester Cancer Research UK, said: "protein kinases regulate how cells communicate When these molecules are deregulated, it corresponds to cells" hearing voices "with. a result change in their behavior. Doctors need a way to track changes in kinase levels in individual tumors so they can see how they respond to treatment and match patients to the treatment that works best for them. "
the team studied the make-up of over 0 protein kinases. They used a technology called mass spectrometry to develop a method to both identify and measure the amount of various kinases in a biological sample -. for example from a portion of a tumor removed in surgery
"Our new method can correctly measure the amount of protein kinases in a sample. This means that we can monitor the behavior of cancer cells and also how tumors respond differently to therapy in cancer patients, "added Dr. J-rgensen.
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