Regulation of Stat1 activity levels: abnormalities in human melanoma cells resistant to interferon.

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/143557

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Melanoma and its treatment continues to be an important health concern in Australia. The interferons comprise an elaborate system of natural substances produced in the body, one of whose functions is to prevent cancer cells from developing. The interferons have been widely used to treat human diseases including viral infections and cancers like malignant melanoma. However, results of recent trials have cast doubt on its effectiveness. We have found that advanced stage melanoma cells resist the direct anti-cancer effects of interferons because they have abnormalities in their ability to respond to interferon. We have made good progress in understanding why the melanoma cells do not respond to the interferons. In particular they show a deficiency in the activity of protein, Stat1, required to send the interferon signal inside the cells. The current proposal will allow us to gain a greater understanding of the processes inside cancer cells regulating Stat1 activity and the reasons for its abnormality in interferon resistant cancer cells. This study will help establish an assay to predict which cancer patients will respond to interferon therapy, saving pateints from unecessary discomfort and costs. It will also have a broad significance to many human diseases where abnormalities in interferon signaling occur and will help to bring about ways to produce the necessary changes in cell properties to overcome the abnormalites, restore the responses and improve the application of interferons to treat melanoma and perhaps other human diseases as well.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2003

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $227,036.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Biochemistry And Cell Biology Not Elsewhere Classified

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Stat1 | cancer | interferon signaling | malignant skin melanoma | melanoma | protein turnover | regulation of gene expression | uveal melanoma

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