Jounalists: See bottom of this post for audio and video resources
Researchers at Mayo Clinic, the University of Chicago and Northwestern University have identified a gene that may a be potential new target for chemotherapy for breast cancer. Cyr61, also known as CCN1, is a growth-promoting gene which is overexpressed in invasive breast cancer tumors. The research is being presented this week at the American Association of Cancer Researchers in Chicago.
Chandra Mohan Kurapaty Venkatapoorna, Ph.D., a researcher in the lab of Ruth Lupu, Ph.D., analyzed Cyr61 in breast cancer tissue samples from patients with primary and recurring breast cancer. They found Cyr61 expression to be higher in samples of recurring breast cancer tumors than in primary breast cancer tumors. They also found that by genetically modifying Cyr61, they could inhibit cell proliferation, prevent tumor growth and suppress the tumor’s ability to become invasive.
The findings provide evidence that Cyr61 is a key in the formation of breast cancer tumors and should be considered as a potential target for therapy in patients whose breast cancer overexpress this gene.
Journalists: The following video and audio clips with Dr. Chandra Kurapaty are available for download and use in your stories.
Lab Broll: MOV
Below is an edited youtube video of Dr. Kurapaty discussing the study. It may be embedded with your stories.
