Transcriptional Regulation Of The Tumour Suppressor Gene, Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$336,540.00
Summary
Cancer is still the second commonest cause of death in children. Neuroblastoma is the commonest solid tumour under the age of five years. Neuroblastoma responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy, unlike many other childhood cancers, and thus represents a major unsolved child health problem. A major advance in the field was a recent trial in th US demonstrating that treatment with oral vitamin A improved survival rates in children with advanced neuroblastoma. In previous studies we have identif ....Cancer is still the second commonest cause of death in children. Neuroblastoma is the commonest solid tumour under the age of five years. Neuroblastoma responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy, unlike many other childhood cancers, and thus represents a major unsolved child health problem. A major advance in the field was a recent trial in th US demonstrating that treatment with oral vitamin A improved survival rates in children with advanced neuroblastoma. In previous studies we have identified that a particular gene retinoic acid receptor beta, known to be involved in the vitamin A anticancer effect may be deficient in some neuroblastoma tumours, and is vital to the anticancer effect of vitamin A in neuroblastoma cells. In this application we hope to define those cellular factors which are necessary for turning on the expression of this gene.Read moreRead less
Improving The Efficacy Of Retinoid Therapy In Childhood Neuroblastoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$295,336.00
Summary
Cancer is still the commonest disease causing death in chilhood. Childhood neuroblastoma is a cancer of the nerve tissue which presents usually as a widely spread malignancy, which responds poorly to conventional therapy, indicating the need for novel treatment approaches. Vitamin A derivatives, or retinoids, given in addition to conventional therapy improves the cure rate for children with advanced neuroblastoma to 50%. We have shown that one likely mechanism of retinoid resistance is a deficie ....Cancer is still the commonest disease causing death in chilhood. Childhood neuroblastoma is a cancer of the nerve tissue which presents usually as a widely spread malignancy, which responds poorly to conventional therapy, indicating the need for novel treatment approaches. Vitamin A derivatives, or retinoids, given in addition to conventional therapy improves the cure rate for children with advanced neuroblastoma to 50%. We have shown that one likely mechanism of retinoid resistance is a deficiency of retinoic acid receptor beta, which is a necessary factor in the neuroblastoma cell for converting the retinoid anti-cancer signal into an irreversible cellular change. In this project we will define why some neuroblastoma cells express low levels of this protein and test new retinoid therapies.Read moreRead less