Inhibition of breast cancer metastasis through targeting of laminin-10 function

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/454564

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Breast cancer affects 1 in 11 women in Australia. Whilst breast cancer is highly curable when detected early, current treatments are ineffective when the disease has spread to other organs such as bone and lungs. Thus, novel therapies for the treatment of advance disease are urgently needed. We have found that laminin-10, a protein present in the breast and thought to control normal breast development and maturation, is particularly abundant in aggressive tumours as well as in those that have spread to bone and lungs suggesting that this protein may play a role in the dissemination of breast cancer cells to other organs. Consistent with this, we have found that laminin-10 stimulates breast tumour cell adhesion and movement in culture, two activities required for successful metastasis of tumour cells. The overall objective of the projects is to demonstrate that breast cancer metastasis can be inhibited by interefering with the function of laminin-10. To this end, we will measure the effect of blocking the production of LN-10 in breast tumour cells on their ability to metastasise. Alternatively, we will test fragments of laminin-10 for their ability to block laminin-10-induced tumour cell growth and movement (required for their escape from the breast) and viability (required for their establishment in distant organs). We will generate antibodies against the most inhibitory fragments and test their effect on spontaneous metastasis in a clinically relevant mouse model of breast cancer metastasis in an attempt to stop-reverse the progression of the disease. If successful, this project will provide the foundation for the development novel inhibitors targeting laminin-10 for the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2007

End Date: 01-01-2009

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $391,241.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Oncology and Carcinogenesis

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Breast cancer | Breast cancer metastases | Tumour metastasis and invasion | antibody | antibody and drug treatment | control of cell movement | extracellular matrix | invasion and metastasis | new therapies to block metastasis

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