Characterization and Therapeutic Targeting of a Novel Metastasis-Suppressive Pathway in Colon Cancer

Abstract

Cancer metastasis, the spread of cancer to other organs in the body, is the ultimate cause of death in most cancer patients. Cancer cells often hijack regulatory pathways in the cell to achieve dysregulated gene expression of the key components of these pathways. However, as most regulatory programs are yet to be annotated, the systematic discovery of such pathologic regulatory pathways remains elusive. Here, we report, for the first time, the development of a new computational framework that helps identify novel regulators that drive human cancers. We have applied this platform to models of colon cancer metastasis to identify a previously unknown pathway, mediated by the protein RBMS1, as a suppressor of metastatic progression. Our preliminary results indicate that this pathway could serve a novel therapeutic target. This study introduces an entirely new approach for studying complex human diseases such as cancer and will benefit Veterans, their beneficiaries, and the patient population in general.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Nov 19, 2019
Source ID
W81XWH1910594

Entities

People

  • Albertas Navickas

Organizations

  • United States Army
  • University of California, San Francisco

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Oncology