Breakthrough Could Lead to New Cancer Therapies

Canadian researchers have discovered a mechanism that tumors use to stimulate blood vessel growth that could lead to new cancer treatments.

Cancerous tumors require the development of new blood vessels to supply them with nutrients so they can continue to grow. The research team was able to determine that tumor cells release micro-vesicles called oncosomes that are filled with cancer specific proteins. Once they reach endothelial cells, the proteins interact and change the behavior of the cells in order to direct blood vessel growth.

The presence of micro-vesicles and how they communicate with the body was already known but the new discovery elaborates on that process and could lead to new therapies that attempt to starve tumors by halting their ability to make new connections.

One potential drug candidate they want to explore is Diannexin, a molecule which can block the growth of blood vessels toward tumors by interrupting the fusion of vesicles and endothelial cells. The molecule has shown promise as a single agent in early tests involving mice but researchers want to try and combine it with a chemotherapy agent to see how well they work together.

The research was conducted by a Canadian team featuring Dr. Janusz Rak, Dr. Khalid Al-Nedawi, Brian Meehan (all three from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) at the Montreal Children's Hospital), Dr. R.S. Kerbel (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto) and Dr. A.C. Allison (Alavita Pharmaceuticals Inc).

Research was made possible through a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute and the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec.

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