Health & Medicine
Molecular Breakthrough May Help Prevent The Spread Of Prostate Cancer
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Nov 11, 2014 02:04 PM EST
Recent findings published in the journal Oncogene show that targeting the molecule SRPK1 could help to stop the progression of prostate cancer.
For the study, researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Nottingham and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) found that a specific compound that inhibits the activity of a molecule is key to how tumors form new blood vessels and can also be essential to survival and multiply.
Through sample analyzation, researchers discovered that SRPK1 increases as the cancer becomes more aggressive.
"We reasoned that inhibition of SRPK1 activity could stop cancer progression," said lead study author Dr. Sebastian Oltean, from the University of Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology, in a news release. "Indeed, we show in this paper that if we decrease SRPK1 levels in prostate cancer cells, or in tumours grafted into mice, we are able to switch VEGF splicing and therefore inhibit tumour vasculature and growth."
The study results bring about ideas for a more novel approach to treating prostate cancer patients who may have wider implications to be used in several types of cancer, according to co-author Professor David Bates of the University of Nottingham's Division of Cancer and Stem Cells.
"There's no denying that there are too few treatment options for the 40,000 men that face a diagnosis of prostate cancer every year in the UK - especially for those with advanced disease. Prostate cancer continues to kill over 10,000 men annually and there is an urgent need for new treatments if we are to significantly reduce this figure," concluded Dr Matthew Hobbs, Deputy Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, via the Daily Mail.
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First Posted: Nov 11, 2014 02:04 PM EST
Recent findings published in the journal Oncogene show that targeting the molecule SRPK1 could help to stop the progression of prostate cancer.
For the study, researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Nottingham and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) found that a specific compound that inhibits the activity of a molecule is key to how tumors form new blood vessels and can also be essential to survival and multiply.
Through sample analyzation, researchers discovered that SRPK1 increases as the cancer becomes more aggressive.
"We reasoned that inhibition of SRPK1 activity could stop cancer progression," said lead study author Dr. Sebastian Oltean, from the University of Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology, in a news release. "Indeed, we show in this paper that if we decrease SRPK1 levels in prostate cancer cells, or in tumours grafted into mice, we are able to switch VEGF splicing and therefore inhibit tumour vasculature and growth."
The study results bring about ideas for a more novel approach to treating prostate cancer patients who may have wider implications to be used in several types of cancer, according to co-author Professor David Bates of the University of Nottingham's Division of Cancer and Stem Cells.
"There's no denying that there are too few treatment options for the 40,000 men that face a diagnosis of prostate cancer every year in the UK - especially for those with advanced disease. Prostate cancer continues to kill over 10,000 men annually and there is an urgent need for new treatments if we are to significantly reduce this figure," concluded Dr Matthew Hobbs, Deputy Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, via the Daily Mail.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone