Newly discovered cell receptor may lead to novel breast cancer treatments
While some types of breast cancer may respond to a prescription to buy Canadian Tamoxifen, other forms of the disease demand ongoing research into new treatments.
While some types of breast cancer may respond to a prescription to buy Canadian Tamoxifen, other forms of the disease demand ongoing research into new treatments. Scientists from Clarkson University discovered a new cell receptor in breast tissue that may provide a gateway to novel drugs.
Previous studies indicated that tumor differentiating factor (TDF), a pituitary hormone, could reduce the progression of breast cancer and cause malignant cells to revert to a healthier state. In order to use this knowledge to medicine's advantage, the study team analyzed breast cancer cells. They discovered a new protein, which they called TDF-R, that acts as a cell receptor to TDF.
However, TDF-R has so far only been found in cancer cells of the breast and not in any other tissues, as published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
"Finding the receptor for the TDF hormone will allow us to rationally design drugs that will have a potent ability to stop cancer progression," said researcher Costel Darie, "We will also be able to use TDF as a biomarker for breast cancer onset, thereby improving diagnoses."
More than 228,000 newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer are projected in the U.S. in 2012, according to the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
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