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New molecular therapy candidates for pancreatic cancer

Date:
April 19, 2010
Source:
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Summary:
A research team from Japan investigated expression of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) in pancreatic cancer cell lines. All the cell lines examined expressed IGF-IR under culture conditions without IGF-I in the medium. They suggest that IGF-IR and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase are good candidates for molecular therapy of pancreatic cancer.
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Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is upregulated in human pancreatic cancer tissues but is not expressed in surrounding non-cancerous tissues. Serum level of IGF-I is elevated in pancreatic cancer patients. Histological analysis has shown that IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) is positive in the membrane of pancreatic cancer tissues.

These facts suggest that IGF-I acts as a growth factor for pancreatic cancer and inhibition of its action might be a good candidate for molecular therapy of pancreatic cancer. A possible problem is that not all pancreatic cancers produce IGF-I, which might be a reason for ineffective results of its clinical application.

A research team from Japan have proved that inhibition of IGF-IR activity results in a decrease in proliferation and motility of pancreatic cancer cell lines. Their study will be published on April 21, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

Their study indicated that IGF-IR was expressed and played a role in proliferation and motility of pancreatic cancer cell lines. Further analysis of this phenomenon could unveil a new role for a growth factor receptor and its downstream pathway in cancer. One possible mechanism would be that the downstream pathway stimulates its upstream receptor via some unknown molecule, like a retrograde flow.


Story Source:

Materials provided by World Journal of Gastroenterology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Tomizawa M, Shinozaki F, Sugiyama T, Yamamoto S, Sueishi M, Yoshida T. Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor in proliferation and motility of pancreatic cancer. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2010; 16 (15): 1854 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i15.1854

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World Journal of Gastroenterology. "New molecular therapy candidates for pancreatic cancer." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 April 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100419102419.htm>.
World Journal of Gastroenterology. (2010, April 19). New molecular therapy candidates for pancreatic cancer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100419102419.htm
World Journal of Gastroenterology. "New molecular therapy candidates for pancreatic cancer." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100419102419.htm (accessed March 19, 2024).

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