ge of blood vessel development, which occurs mainly in tumors in adults," said Varner. "This was a chance discovery, which was exciting, and we think it may have important clinical significance."
In their current studies of breast cancer patients for the presence of the integrin and VCAM, "We want to know if the integrins predict aggressive breast cancer. If so, this could become a valuable, non-invasive diagnostic tool for cancer," said Varner.
In addition, knowing how blood vessels are finally assembled could help lead to effective ways to stop the proliferation of cancer cells by cutting off their nutrient supply, Varner added. Drs. Varner and Parker are currently in discussions with pharmaceutical companies to test integrin inhibitors in cancer clinical trials at the new Moores UCSD Cancer Center.
Varner's colleagues in the study included Barbara Garmy-Susini, Hui Jin, Yuhong Zhu, Rou-Jia Sung and Rosa Hwang, all of UCSD.
'"/>
Contact: Leslie Franz
lfranz@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego
2-May-2005
Page: 1 2 3 Related biology news :1.
Unexpected finding: Some dinosaurs grew slower in hard times2.
Unexpected link between gene in liver and iron overload3.
Unexpected function for a key regulator of blood glucose levels4.
Unexpected features of anthrax toxin may lead to new types of therapies5.
Weizmann Institute scientists discover a control mechanism for metastasis6.
New mechanism links smoking to lung damage7.
Identified mechanism in the malaria parasite to help it adapt to infected individuals8.
Identifying the mechanism behind a genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes9.
A new plant-bacterial symbiotic mechanism promising10.
MIT IDs mechanism behind fear11.
Tracing Parkinsons lethal mechanism