My Breakthrough
Endo180 - The pied piper of breast cancer?
The aim of this research is to identify molecules on breast cancer cells that may play a critical role in metastasis.
Why are we interested in this?
Breast cancer metastasis is one of the most important factors in determining whether a breast cancer patient may relapse to the disease. Yet little is understood about the factors that allow breast cancer cells to spread.
How are we investigating this?
Our scientists are studying the way that cells interact and communicate with each other and the extra-cellular matrix (the network of molecules that surrounds cells) as these factors are critical to understanding how cancer cells spread. They are examining the role of molecules on the surface of breast cancer cells that may be important for metastasis.Who is carrying out this research?
This research is being carried out by the Molecular Cell Biology laboratory, headed by Professor Clare Isacke at the Breakthrough Research Centre.
Achievements
The team have identified a molecule called Endo180 that may be involved in the spread of breast
cancer.
Endo180 can force cells to move in a particular direction, a property necessary for cancer cells to move away from the tumour and into, for example, the blood system. It does this by directing the cell along a chemical gradient.
Acting together with two other proteins strongly linked to cancer spread, Endo180 is involved in setting up the cell's internal compass, helping a cell to work out its orientation and direction to move.
Future Ambition
Further investigation by the Molecular Cell Biology laboratory may lead to the development of new drug targets and the progression of novel therapies to prevent the spread of breast cancer.
For more detailed information, please visit the Breakthrough Research website.
The Molecular Cell Biology laboratory
Members of the Molecular Cell Biology laboratory at the Breakthrough Research Centre.
