"These results highlight the importance of designing inhibitors of exquisite selectivity. Our findings highlight some critical information - just because two enzymes catalyze the same reaction does not mean that targeting one will have the same effect as targeting the other," he said.

S1P is an important signaling molecule that cells use to communicate with one another and to trigger various effects within the cell. S1P has also been implicated in many processes contributing to cancer progression, including growth, survival and angiogenesis, the process by which tumor cells recruit new blood vessels that both feed the tumor with nutrients and provide a conduit for the tumor cells to spread throughout the body.

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Contact: Sathya Achia-Abraham
sbachia@vcu.edu
804-827-0890
Virginia Commonwealth University
4-Nov-2005